The First Time
by Wintersslayer
Summary: AU 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his longtime best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks alot like Seto...
1. Chapter 1

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relatoinship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks alot like Seto...

Status: 1 of ?

A/N: A couple of background notes, since this is an Alternate Universe fic. First, a note about Gozaburo (spelled right?). Seto and Mokuba were indeed adopted by him, but he's not dead at the beginning of the story. So, Seto is not yet a CEO, and KaibaCorp still makes weapons. I think Gozaburo dies when Seto is 16, so at the beginning of this story Seto is 15, and a sophomore in high school. Second, Yami and Yugi are brothers (so Yami obviously has his own body then), so while most people will be sophomores in high school, Yugi is a freshmen. But he's still friends with everyone. Duel Monsters is just starting to gain popularity (though it's been around for a while), and Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, the Doom Arc, yeah, none of that has happened. Umm...I think that's it.

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 1

_A young man walked slowly along the familiar pathway, his boots crunching against the fresh snow beneath him. Tall trees loomed above him on both sides of the pathway, the limbs long-bare of any leaves. He shivered slightly as a sudden cold chill picked up, whipping slightly at his clothes and at his hair. He absentmindedly brushed back his golden bangs with one hand as his memories began to overtake him, taking him back to where it all had begun. It had been winter as well, when he was just a sophomore at Domino High School. Even though nearly ten years had passed since then, he still remembered every little detail as if it had just happened the day before. For who could ever forget the time when their life had changed forever, when they had met the one and only person that they were meant to spend the rest of their life with, only to have fate tragically intervene..._

It had been a clear, crisp day when he had first met him. As usual, he had been running late to school, sleeping in a bit too late. His brother Yugi, who was a year younger than him, had already left the Kame game store, which was owned and ran by their grandfather, Sugoroku Mutou. The two boys lived with their grandfather in the small rooms above the store. Yugi hated being late to school, and as much as he loved his brother, refused to be late because of him.

As he neared the school gates, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a long, black limo approaching. Curiousity took over him, and he stopped to watch as the driver got out and walked over to the side of the vehicle, opening the door. He stared as a rather tall brunet stepped out of the limo, carrying a metal briefcase in one hand. The boy was wearing the Domino High school uniform, but had replaced the usual school jacket with a long, dark blue trenchcoat. Deep blue eyes gazed up at the tall structure of the school, and a slight frown flickered across the boy's lips, gone in the next instant. Then, surprisingly, he turned towards Yami, and their eyes met for the first time. A small smile crept across the brunet's lips, and it was still there as he swept past him, his trenchcoat flowing behind him. Yami continued to stare after the other, not exactly sure what had just happened. Suddenly, the late bell rang shrilly, snapping him out of his reverie and causing him to rush madly into the school.

Luckily for him, the teacher was in a good mood, and decided not to give Yami detention, instead giving him a stern warning not to be late ever again. With a sigh of relief, he slid into his seat, next to his best friend, Joey Wheeler, who looked as if he had just woken up, his messy dark blond hair falling into his eyes. Joey leaned over and whispered in a hushed voice, "Hey, did ya hear? We got a new student coming today."

He whispered back, "This late in the year?" It was already late November.

Before his friend could reply, there was a soft knock on the door. Everyone looked as it opened and in stepped a tall brunet, wearing a long, dark blue trenchcoat. Crimson eyes widened upon recognizing him as the boy he had just seen at the school gates. Murmurs and giggles ran throughout the classroom as the students whispered excitedly about the new student. The teacher tapped his ruler sharply on his desk, clearing his throat loudly as well. The room immediately quieted down. "Class, please welcome our new student, Seto Kaiba."

Everyone politely applauded hello. However, the new student seemingly ignored them all, instead focusing solely on one student, one who had wild red, black, and blond hair. A small smile once again crept across his lips, but disappeared quickly and was replaced by his usual impassive expression. Usually, people would turn away from his stare, but this one didn't. How...intriguing.

The teacher directed Kaiba to his seat, on the other side of Yami, then began the morning's lesson. Yami couldn't help but glance over to his side from time to time, making sure that his golden bangs covered his eyes slightly, but didn't interfere with his vision. He was rather surprised to see that each time he took a quick peak the brunet wasn't at all paying attention to the teacher, instead choosing to read a novel. He found it a bit difficult himself to concentrate on the rest of the lesson.

The morning passed by quickly, and at lunchtime, Yami, Joey and Yugi, along with their good friends Tea Gardner and Tristan Taylor, made their way over to the new student, who was sitting alone underneath a tree, reading his novel. Even though Yugi was a year younger than the rest of them, he was still good friends with them, and they all often hung out together after school. It was the younger Mutou who spoke first. "Hi there! Your name's Seto, right?"

Without even a glance up, the boy replied in a flat tone, "It's Kaiba."

The friends looked at one another, before Yugi spoke again. "Oh...right. Well Kaiba, I'm Yugi, this is my brother Yami, and our friends Joey, Tea, and Tristan." The other hardly glanced up as he gave the introductions, so he continued on in a hurry. "We're all going to play Duel Monsters this afternoon, and we were wondering if you would like to join. If you don't know how to play, then we can teach you." He smiled brightly, even though the other wasn't even looking at him.

Kaiba gave a short laugh. "You think you're in my league? I'm good enough to compete at the national level."

"Then I'm sure that you won't back down from a challenge."

The calm, confident voice got Kaiba's attention. He finally glanced up from his novel, but was hardly surprised at whose voice it belonged to. "Yami, is it? Are you challenging me?" He rose to his full height, his eyes boring into the other's.

As he expected, the crimson-eyed boy met his gaze with ease, without wavering. A small smirk appeared on his lips. "Do you accept?"

"Hmph. See you after school then." He picked up his briefcase with his free hand, and walked off towards the building.

Joey frowned at his actions. "Yeesh, can that guy be any more of a jerk?" He turned towards Yami. "Hey Yami, how about you let me take care of Mr. High-and-Mighty? I can take him, one two three!"

Yami didn't reply. He found himself once again staring at the back of the dark blue trenchcoat. There was something...strange about this boy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He smiled slightly. He wanted to get to know him a bit better.

His blond friend noticed that small, odd smile, and where, or rather towards whom, it was directed at. And he didn't like that one bit. He had also seen Kaiba staring at Yami earlier this morning in class. He didn't like that either. His eyes narrowed slightly in the direction of the school building. He'd just have to show Kaiba this afternoon after school that Yami was already taken.

Unfortunately for Joey, Kaiba won the duel quite easily. Almost without contest, really, the taller duelist not losing a single lifepoint, and looking extremely bored by the end. After all, he had only agreed to duel Joey in order to shut him up. And to make matters worse for Joey, throughout the duel, he had noticed that Yami wasn't paying any attention to him, but was rather focused on Mr. High-and-Mighty. Grumbling that he had just been caught off-guard today, he sat in a backwards-facing chair, resting his arms across the backrest, as Kaiba and Yami prepared to duel. Somehow, he'll beat that jerk one of these days. Him and his stupid Blue Eyes White Dragon.

The duel was quite good, and quite long as well. Kaiba's mouth dropped open in complete shock as his lifepoints dropped to zero. Him, the current national champion of Japan, losing to this...amateur? He shook his head a bit in disbelief. The boy was quite a wonder, he had to admit to himself. Certainly the most challenging he's ever faced. He'll enjoy quite a bit the challenge of finding a strategy to beat him.

Joey, absolutely delighted that his friend had creamed the new student, grinned widely. "So, Mr. I'm-good-enough-to-compete-at-the-national-level, how does it feel to lose?" He didn't notice the disapproving frown that Yami was giving him.

The brunet just ignored him, and instead stared without expression at Yami. This ticked off the blond even more, and he was about to say something, when Kaiba suddenly got up and briskly left the room, without so much as a good-bye or a backwards glance. The friends just stared at one another. "Who does that guy think he is?" Joey said angrily. "Man, he really ticks me off!"

Yami continued to stare at the door. "He's quite...peculiar, isn't he?" he murmured, almost to himself.

Joey snorted. "Peculiar is definitely not one of the words I'd use to describe him"

"Aw come on Joey," Tristan said with a laugh. "You're just jealous that he creamed ya, that's all!"

The blonde fumed at this. "What! Me, jealous of that prick?"

The two continued to banter back and forth. Yugi sidled up to his older brother. "I have to agree with you, Yami. He is rather peculiar." His brother nodded absentmindedly. "Maybe you ought to get to know him a bit better?" he said with a knowing smirk.

A small smile was his reward. "You know me too well, Little Brother." Yes, he'd certainly like to get to know Seto Kaiba a bit better. Like at lunchtime, he got the feeling that there was much more than meets the eye to him, something that was irressistably drawing him to him. Something that he could not just ignore...

It was nearly ten in the evening when Seto Kaiba finally made his way out the grand doors of the Kaiba Corp building. As usual, his adopted father, Gozaburo Kaiba, had kept him late working on company business. Kaiba Corp was well-known for their weapons manufacturing, a fact that Seto greatly despised. He knew that Gozaburo had only adopted him and his younger brother, Mokuba, in order to train him to take over the company one day, hoping that Seto's brilliant mind would propel the company even further in its weapons business. Seto, however, had other plans for the company. When _he_ became the CEO of Kaiba Corp, he was going to turn the company into a technology-based gaming company, one that would make the lives of others better, instead of destroying them like the current corporation did with its weapons. He wanted to make a good life for him and his brother, but he wanted to do it his way, and not his hated adopted father's. One day, he'd make his dreams come true. But for now...he'd have to play by Gozaburo's rules.

As he neared the waiting limo, he heard sounds of a struggle in a nearby alley. Normally, he didn't pay any heed to the lives of others, with the lone exception being Mokuba. Tonight however, he happened to recognize the voice yelling out.

"Get your hands off of me!"

Yami...?

"I'm warning you, bastard! Let go of me, or else!"

Seto dropped his briefcase as he rushed towards the alley. What he saw angered him: Yami being pinned to the wall by a huge dark haired man. The man had his wrists pinned above his head with one hand, the other hand fumbling with Yami's belt. His jacket was already torn open, and he was struggling wildly against the man. Even though the man was twice his size, he still had managed to get at least one decent punch, as evident by the slight trickle of blood from the man's nose. However, Seto realized that the man was much too big, too powerful, for Yami to handle him on his own. So, Seto did the first thing that came to his mind: he strolled over, harshly pulled the man off of Yami and slammed his fist into his jaw. The man stumbled back in surprise, holding his jaw in one hand, cursing loudly as he did so. The future CEO stood protectively in front of Yami, icy blue eyes glaring fiercely.

Yami stared at his rescuer with wide, surprised eyes, his heart still pounding madly in his chest. Is that...Seto Kaiba?

The man rubbed his jaw with his hand as he got a good look at the guy who punched him. His eyes widened in disbelief- some _punk_ hit him? With an angry growl he lunged at the boy. However, his rather intoxicated mind caused him to lose his balance while doing so, giving Seto another shot at his head. This time, the man fell to the floor in an ungraceful heap, obviously out-cold.

Seto turned back towards Yami. "Are you okay?"

He nodded as his heart slowly started to return to its normal rhythm. "Yes, I'll be fine" He paused briefly. "Thank you." He pushed himself off of the wall, gazing at the tall brunet with curious eyes.

Blue eyes returned the gaze steadily. "Don't mention it." His gaze never left the other's. "We should go." He gently placed his hand on the small of Yami's back, and guided him out of the alley and towards the limo. He kept a sharp look out for any other thugs who might be lurking about. Once they reached the limo, the driver was already waiting to open the door, Seto's briefcase in one hand. Seto noticed the driver's curious glance at Yami, but knew that he would not ask any questions, nor would he be telling his father about any of this. The staff tended to stay out of Kaiba business as much as possible, not wanting to risk possibly losing their job if they did so.

Once they were both seated comfortably inside the spacious limo, Seto asked Yami where he lived, then told the driver to head directly there. The privacy glass was put up after, and they rode in silence for several long moments. The duelist champion gently cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the other occupant in the limo. "So what were you doing way out here anyways?" He wasn't sure exactly why, but for some reason he was curoius.

"I like to take walks to clear my mind. Usually, I go to the Domino City Park, but I guess tonight I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going."

"Well, next time you should be more careful." He smirked a bit. "I won't always be around to save you, you know."

Yami smiled in return. "I'll keep that in mind."

Silence once again fell upon the limo. This time, it was Yami who broke it. "So, what were you doing out so late? Don't tell me you were just out for a walk as well."

The other gave a short laugh. "I hardly have the time for leisurely walks. Actually, I just got off from work."

Crimson eyes widened slightly. "So late at night?"

Seto shrugged. "Yeah, my father can be a bastard like that sometimes."

Yami sensed that this was a touchy subject for the other, so decided to drop it. He quickly thought of something else to say. "Hey, I'm sorry about my friend's comments this afternoon. He was just upset that you beat him."

Again, the other shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'm used to dealing with amateurs like him. Now you on the other hand...Where did you learn how to duel?"

"My grandfather taught me. He also gave me his deck."

"Well, I haven't had this good a challenge in a long time. I look forward to dueling you again."

"Likewise. You're quite good yourself."

The limo pulled up to the Kame game store, and the driver got out to open the door for Yami. The sophomore looked at the other. "Thank you again for your help tonight, Kaiba."

"You can call me Seto."

A smile was his reward. "Well, good night then, Seto. I'll see you tomorrow in school."

"Good night, Yami."

END OF CHAPTER

Ooookay then. Hope the characters weren't too OOC, particularly Seto. He should probably be a bit more cold and stand-offish, but uh...yeah. And I tried to make Yami not so...girly, I guess.

So, what'd you think? Like it, like it alot, hate it, hate it alot? This is going to be one long story, and I don't even have all of it planned out yet. They are going to be in high school for a while. A bunch of stuff must happen first before we can move on to 10 years later. I know this chapter was a bit slow-ish- a lot of staring and smiling it seems. I was going to end it earlier, but decided to put in that last scene cuz I thought the chapter was too slow anyways.

If you couldn't tell from the first paragraph, this is all supposed to be happening in the past. Somebody (you can guess who) is remembering.

Oh, and another thing, Joey isn't so good in this fic. So if you like Joey, you probably don't want to continue reading it. Sorriez. I don't mean to pick on him (even though I don't particularly like him), but he just seemed like the right type of person to fit the part, you know? Hopefully you'll see what I mean in later chapters.

Well, thanks so much for reading! Please review. I'd like to know what you think of the story so far. Thanks again! ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language, maybe a bit OOC. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 2 of ?

A/N: Thanks so much for all of the kind reviews! I'm glad that people seem to like this story so far.

Confession to make. Last chapter, Joey mentioned that Seto had beaten him with a BEWD. According to the manga and anime however, Seto doesn't have the BEWD till after Gozaburo dies ( I think- I could be confusing myself here). And since Gozaburo is currently still alive, that would mean he's not actually supposed to have one yet. Oopsies. So that's another little change from the manga/anime. But I do have a reason for this. The BEWD does come into play later on.

And YAY, I finally got Microsoft Word installed into my laptop. Now I don't have to depend so much on my own grammar and spelling knowledge…

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 2

Once again, Yami was running late to school. Especially late this morning. He could faintly hear the late bell ringing. He quickly ran down the sidewalk, his book bag bouncing against his side as he did so. He was really going to be in for it this time. He doubted he could catch the teacher in a good mood two days in a row. The sophomore was so busy thinking about how he could somehow argue his way out of detention, that he didn't notice the sleek black limo strolling along the street beside him. That is, until the back window rolled down and a familiar voice called out, "Need a lift?"

The sophomore slowed down a bit as he turned towards the limo. "Seto, the late bell already rang! The teacher is going to kill us for being so late!"

The other smirked in amusement. "Don't worry about it."

Yami stared at him in amazement. Easy for him to say. He might get off the hook since it's only his second day. But Yami, on the other hand, was late on most days. He would certainly not get off the hook. He slowed down to a complete stop as he arrived at the end of the street. Cautiously, he peered around the corner of the wall. Shoot. A teacher was already standing at the school gates, just waiting to catch any unfortunate late students. The duelist groaned a bit. This was definitely not good.

"Something wrong?" an amused voice asked beside him.

The sophomore jumped a bit and whirled around. While he had been peeking at the gates, Seto must have gotten out of the limo. He was now standing next to him, that amused expression still on his face. "There's no way we'll be able to get past that teacher."

The tall brunet looked up at the wall next to them, then back down the street a bit. He turned back to Yami. "Come on. I have an idea." He started walking back down the street.

"Where are you going? This is no time for fooling around." Yami exclaimed in a low voice.

"Just come with me."

Grumbling a bit how this was going to make them even more late, Yami reluctantly followed. They walked quickly about halfway down the street, when Seto suddenly stopped and glanced up at the wall. "The wall isn't so high here. We could easily climb over it, and thus avoid that teacher at the gates."

Yami looked skeptically up at the wall, which was a few feet taller than him. Oh sure, easy for him to say, when he was a good several inches taller than him.

"Here, put your bag down and I'll boost you up."

He turned back towards the other, who was waiting with his fingers laced together in a kind of brace. Sighing reluctantly, Yami dropped his bag on the ground, and with Seto's help, managed to clamber up onto the top of the wall. Then he reached down as Seto handed him his bag as well as his metal briefcase. Placing the items carefully on the wall next to him, he once again reached down to help pull the other up. However, to his surprise, Seto had already backed up a few feet. He easily boosted himself up onto the wall next to Yami, then swung his legs over and jumped down in one smooth movement. Yami stared at him in amazement. With a slight grin on his face, he handed the other the bag and briefcase, then jumped off the wall himself.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Seto said as he took his briefcase.

The shorter duelist only laughed in reply. He glanced down at his watch, and crimson eyes widened. "Oh crap! We're REALLY late now!" He started to take off towards the building, but Seto grabbed his hand and stopped him. He turned towards the other in surprise.

"I told you not to worry about that. It's taken care of." He smiled slightly, then started walking at a leisurely pace towards the building. Since their hands were still joined, Yami had no choice but to go with him, at his pace. He wondered why Seto didn't let go of his hand...

When they reached the classroom, Seto dropped Yami's hand from his, then pulled the door open and strolled in like they weren't coming in ten minutes late. Though, if they had been detained by that teacher at the gates, then they would have been even later. Yami sighed inaudibly as he followed the other in. The teacher was already glaring at the two of them, ready to lecture them about how being late to class would not be tolerated, and how it was a disrespect to both your teacher as well as your fellow peers. Yami had heard this lecture dozens of times, and could probably recite it word for word along with the teacher.

"Mr. Kaiba. Mr. Mutou. So good of you both to join us." The other students giggled and murmured a bit, but immediately quieted down at the teacher's stern glance. "Now Mr. Kaiba, I don't know how it was at your other school, but here-"

He was suddenly cut off by Kaiba's sharp voice. "Another word, and I'll have you fired."

The other students' mouths fell open in complete shock. No one ever talked back to the teacher, _especially_ to this particular one.

The teacher glared at Kaiba, barely able to contain his anger. "You may be the son of Gozaburo Kaiba, and I don't care how much control he has in this city, but around here you WILL show some respect! Now go to your seat!"

"Please. Like I need my father to handle the likes of you. I could easily get you fired with one phone call." He pulled his cell phone from the inside of his trench coat, preparing to dial. He glared at the teacher.

The teacher wisely decided to back down. It wasn't just Gozaburo Kaiba that had power- he knew that his adopted son had nearly as much power as he did. "Class," he said in a rather shaky breath, "the rest of class time will be spent in silent study." He sat down shakily at his desk, pretending to shift through some papers.

Kaiba smirked and headed for his seat. Well that was fun.

Yami, who had been watching the whole scene from near the door, went to his seat as well. He watched as the tall brunet calmly took out his novel and began to read, acting as if nothing had happened at all. So this was what he had meant when he said that things were "taken care of". Maybe next time, he should be the one to "take care of" things. He had no idea that Seto's family, or Seto himself even, had that much influence that the boy could put down a teacher and get away with it. He was certainly something else, this Seto Kaiba. Certainly a bit on the peculiar side.

At lunchtime, Yami looked over towards the big oak tree that Seto sat under, as usual reading his novel. Earlier that morning, he had invited the brunet to join him and his friends during lunch, but had been turned down. He wondered a bit why the other was so...distant from everyone else. He could have sworn that Seto had been almost flirting with him this morning. Why would he have even bothered avoiding the teacher at the gate if he was just going to threaten their teacher anyways? And why did he keep holding his hand like he did?

A hand passing in front of his face snapped Yami out of his thoughts. He blinked rapidly a few times, then turned towards the owner of the hand.

"No need to panic everyone, he's still with us!" Joey proclaimed with a wide grin on his face.

Yami smiled a bit. "Sorry, guess I spaced out a bit."

His best friend laughed. "And here I thought you were staring at Kaiba over there."

The sophomore's cheeks reddened slightly, and he gave a short laugh. "Of course I wasn't. I was just thinking of...umm...of our piano test this afternoon." They had to play the song that they had been practicing on for the past month in front of the entire class.

Tristan groaned. "Man, I'm so gonna fail that thing. Why do we have to learn piano anyways? It's such a boring instrument."

"No it's not!" Tea chided. "A person shows a refined eloquence and gracefulness when playing the piano."

As the two brunets continued to argue, Yami once again found his mind drifting. Seto was also in their piano class. He could imagine his long fingers moving gracefully over the white and black keys, playing each note of the song perfectly...

Yugi curiously observed his older brother. He was getting that lost, dazed look again. And he was looking towards where a certain tall brunet sat reading. Yami had told him about how the brunet had helped him last night. And it must have been more than just a coincidence that they happened to walk into their first class together. (Tea had told him about how Kaiba had threatened to fire the teacher.) The younger Mutou smiled a bit as he continued to gaze at his brother. Looks like someone might be getting a crush...

The piano teacher was a kind, elderly lady, much more liked than their strict first period teacher. She rarely raised her voice in class, and was always willing to listen to the students and make compromises. What the students liked most about her was that she went easy on grading- if you had been at least trying to learn your piece and not goofing off during class, then you were at least able to get a B. However, to get an A you had to play exceptionally well, as what Tea had said during lunch, with a "refined eloquence and gracefulness". Not many got the high mark, but a few did.

Each student had to go the front of the class and play their piece, some worse than others. The teacher applauded as Tea finished her piece, then looked down her list at the next name. "Seto Kaiba? Will you please come to the front of the room?"

Kaiba sat looking at the teacher with a stoic expression. He sat unmoving.

Yami raised his hand, and the teacher nodded at him. "Yes, Yami?"

"Sensei, he just came to this school yesterday. He might not have a piece prepared."

The lady smiled. "Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. Why don't you take him to the auditorium where he can practice a bit then? If he needs to pick something, you know where the pieces are kept. Oh, and take your things as well. You may spend the remainder of the class there."

He nodded. "Yes, Sensei." He gathered his things and got up from his chair, smiling slightly at Kaiba. The other did the same, silently following him out of the room. Neither noticed the dark glare peering from under messy blond bangs.

The auditorium was located several rooms down the hall. The two duelists walked into the empty room, and both sat down on the piano bench. Neither had said a word during the short walk, and now both were silent as well. After a few minutes, Yami cleared his throat gently. "Umm... If you don't have a piece, then the school has a bunch in the back room. I could show you the room if you'd like."

"No need." He placed his hands over the white and black keys, then gently began to play. A soft, slow melody began to fill the auditorium.

Yami watched mesmerized as the brunet continued to play. He watched as Seto's long fingers flew over the keys in a graceful manner. He didn't bang on them like Joey tended to, nor did he start and stop like Tristan did. It was if he and piano were somehow becoming one, connected, working as one to produce the most beautiful song Yami had ever heard.

All too soon, the song ended, and silence once again fell upon the room.

"That was beautiful, Seto," Yami said in quiet voice. "What's the name of it?"

"_The First Time_."

Yami repeated the name in a thoughtful voice. "I loved it."

A small, sad smile crossed Seto's face. "My mother taught it to me, before she died. She was a wonderful pianist, the best I ever knew."

Crimson eyes widened at this new information, and the fact that Seto was sharing such personal information with him. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago anyways." He gently shut the piano's lid. Obviously, he didn't need to practice his piece. "How about we go for a walk? I hear the park is nice during this time of the day."

Ah, so he remembered that he liked to take walks in the park. "Right now? But we still have two more classes left."

The other shrugged. "Your point?" He got up from the bench and offered his hand. He was smiling slightly, his blue eyes gently telling Yami to come with him.

Yami stared at him with bewilderment. "I- I guess so then." He took Seto's hand as he stood, a slight blush once again creeping into his cheeks as he did so.

The brunet smiled fully now as he led Yami out of the room, grabbing their things along the way, then out of the building. The shorter boy was quite surprised to see a black limo waiting for them at the school gates, the driver already holding the door open. "I had called my driver during lunch," Seto said with a slight mischievous grin on his face.

Yami laughed at this as he climbed into the back, Seto following him. As the limo pulled away from the curb, brown eyes watched angrily from the school windows that faced the gates. He was definitely not happy with this...

END OF CHAPTER

scratches head Uhh...I hope I'm sorta close as to how Seto would deal with that teacher. Have no clue really, and am just guessing. And I'm guessing at the piano thing too (that becomes important later on in the story).

Well, I hoped you liked it. I know I know, their relationship is going a bit fast. But if it took any longer, then we would never get past high school. I'm thinking high school will probably last around 5 chapters or so (so maybe 3 more, possibly 4?). Then we can get to the "present" time. So that's why I'm making Seto a bit more...forward than he probably actually is. A bit OOC, please don't kill me. ;)

Ick, classes start on Monday for me. Which means I don't know when I'll be able to update next. I'll try not to take too long though.

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and please review:)


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language, maybe a bit OOC. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 3 of ?

A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. I've been busy with classes and whatnot. I would've had this chapter done a tad bit earlier, but once I had finished writing it I changed my mind and had to do some massive editing. It seemed to me that I had been doing a bit too much of Seto's perspective on things (remember- it's Yami who's remembering all of this). shrugs But I do have to add some stuff on Seto so people won't be too confused…

Anyways… Thanks so much for all of the nice reviews! I'm glad that people don't seem to mind the…speediness of the relationship.

And to Darleneartist… ummm… I think you misunderstood the summary just a bit. You'll see what I mean in maybe 2 chapters or so (I don't want to spoil anything).

Well, enjoy chapter 3 then!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 3

Fallen, dried leaves crunched slightly underneath his boots as Yami walked slowly along the path. He glanced at his taller companion, and noticed that he seemed rather lost in his own thoughts. He remembered from last night that Seto had told him that he didn't have time for leisurely walks. And yet here they were, taking a calm, leisurely walk together in the park. Of course, they were ditching afternoon classes to do so, but at the moment, Yami really didn't care much. This was his chance to get to know the other better. But he didn't just want to know him better- he wanted to understand him better as well. Seto was so…distant, so cold it seemed to just about everyone else but him. He had to wonder then, if the other felt that same, intense connection that he felt. As if they were the only ones in the entire world that could understand one another…

The pair continued to walk in silence down the path, each lost in their own thoughts, just enjoying each other's presence. Suddenly, the shorter of the two spotted some tree roots sticking out of the ground, forming a short but squiggly, uneven walkway. Tossing a slight grin at the other, he rushed ahead and hopped up on the end. Sticking his arms out for balance, he began to walk slowly and a bit wobbly along the roots' length, concentrating on not tumbling off.

"What are you doing?" Seto asked in a slightly amused voice. He walked slowly along the ground next to Yami.

"My brother and I used to play a game of chase on the roots, where if one of us stepped onto the ground, he would be out." He grinned. "I always ended up winning, probably cuz I'm taller." He gave a small laugh, which unfortunately distracted him enough to cause him to lose his balance. With a slight gasp he fell off, right into Seto's awaiting arms. Surprised crimson eyes stared into amused azure ones.

"You could sprain an ankle or something doing that," Seto murmured in a quiet voice, a slight grin on his face.

"Not with you here to always save me." Crimson eyes widened. He did _not _just say that. He hadn't meant to really- just kinda popped out of his mouth. What he had _meant_ to say was something like, "It's not _that_ high up." But unfortunately for him, it seemed like the filter from his brain to his mouth was not working properly, therefore allowing him to say the first thing that came to him mind, before thinking it through all the way…

The other's smile widened. "You're right. This is twice I've saved you in two days, and we've just met. Not that I mind though." He continued to stare into those red eyes that had captivated him since the first time he saw them.

Yami's cheeks reddened slightly at Seto's intense gaze. He realized with a start that the other still had his arms wrapped around him, and that their faces were rather close. It felt rather nice. They stayed like that for the next several moments, till Yami gently cleared his throat. "We should probably get back. The school officials might start wondering about us."

With a slight smirk on his lips, the future CEO unwrapped his arms from around Yami and took a step back, pulling out his cell phone as he did so. He dialed the school's number, then waited for someone to answer the call. When someone finally picked up, he recognized the voice as the lady who he had heard talking to his adopted father. Good. This should be easy. He knew that Gozaburo had told the school that from time to time, Seto would be needed to be excused from classes to help with the company. It was a handy excuse to have. "Yes, this is Seto Kaiba. I have pressing matters to attend to, and won't be available for afternoon classes. Also, I will be requiring the assistance of Yami Mutou, therefore he won't be available for afternoon classes as well." The lady spoke again. "Fine then." He snapped his cell phone shut, then placed it back into his pocket. He looked at Yami. "All taken care of."

He stared at him in amazement. "They'll excuse you, just like that?"

He shrugged. "Advantage of being a Kaiba, I suppose." He held out his hand towards Yami. "So do you have any favorite places here at the park?"

Yami once again sensed that Seto would rather not talk about his family. He didn't pay much attention to the news, and so knew little about the Kaiba family, only that they controlled a large corporation of some sort. He wondered why the other didn't like to talk about his family, but decided that when Seto felt comfortable, he would open up to him. For now, he should just enjoy his company. With a smile on his face, he took Seto's hand and they started walking once more. "There's this fountain a few minutes from here. It has a dragon with his tail in his mouth, representing the cyclic nature of things. The dragon is strong, fierce and proud, and knows how powerful he truly is. However, he gazes up at the sky looking for something more in his life. It's said that dragons live in lakes or springs, which is what the fountain's waters represent."

"Sounds like you've thought about this a lot."

He nodded. "Yeah, I like to go there to think. It's nice and quiet." He stopped walking. "We're here.

The soft sounds of water splashing greeted them as they came up to the fountain's edge. Benches circled the fountain, and they sat down on one of them, their hands still joined. As Yami gazed up at the magnificent dragon, it reminded him of the card that Seto had played during their duel (as well as his duel with Joey) the day before: the Blue Eyes White Dragon. That card was incredibly rare, so Yami was already impressed by the fact that Seto had one in his deck. The dragon reminded him of Seto as well: strong, fierce, and proud, and so confident as well. However, he got the feeling that, like the dragon, Seto was also looking for something more in his life. He could strongly sense that deep down, the other was not happy, though he hid his unhappiness quite well. Yami hoped that he would be able to help the other find what he is searching for…

They sat at the fountain for the next few hours, some of it in comfortable silence, some of it sharing stories and learning a bit more about each other, though it was mostly Yami sharing and Seto listening, till Seto glanced at his watch and frowned. "I'm sorry, but we need to get going. I have to be at work in another half hour or so."

Yami nodded and they both stood up and started heading back towards the park entrance, where the limo would be waiting for them. The ride to the Kame game store was silent, neither one speaking till the limo pulled up to the brightly-lit store. Seto smiled gently at the other. "I think I rather like taking these leisurely-type walks."

The sophomore smiled back. "I had a good time as well."

His smile turned into a bit of a grin "Care to join me again tomorrow, at the same time?"

Yami laughed, knowing that the other was just joking. "If we are going to do that, then why bother attending classes at all tomorrow?

"Why indeed. So it's agreed then. We'll ditch for the entire day."

He shook his head, smiling. "You're impossible, Seto."

Seto let out a rather disappointed sigh. "Alright then. If you won't spend tomorrow with me, then how about Saturday night?" He no longer wore his grin, but looked quite serious now.

Crimson eyes widened slightly. Was Seto asking him out on a date? He should say something quick. "I'd love to go out on Saturday with you." Maybe it was a good thing after all that that filter from his brain to his mouth wasn't working properly.

"Great. I'm looking forward to it."

Yami was all smiles as he climbed out of the limo. He peered back into it. "See you tomorrow, Seto."

"Bye, Yami."

The door was shut, and Seto made sure that Yami was safely inside the game shop before telling the driver to head to KaibaCorp. Actually, he was supposed to be at KaibaCorp about an hour ago. It amazed him at how easy it was to lose track of time while he was with Yami. He let out a sigh. Gozaburo was definitely not going to be happy with his tardiness…

As expected, his adopted father was not happy. "Where have you been all this time?" he demanded in an angry voice.

"Busy," Seto replied in a monotonous voice.

"And doing what, exactly? What could be more important than Kaiba Corp work?"

_Anything and everything,_ Seto thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "I was meeting with a potential future investor. He contacted me while I was at school, so I met with him immediately."

"Oh really now?" Gozaburo didn't sound convinced. He pulled out his cell phone and called the school. The receptionist indeed confirmed that Seto had taken some of his afternoon classes off for some "pressing matters". He flipped the phone shut as he narrowed his eyes at the boy. "And what is the name of this investor?"

"He wouldn't say, stating that he'd like to think about it some more before making any type of commitment."

"Hm." Something didn't sound right to the CEO. "What is his contact information?"

"Again, he wouldn't say, stating that he'd prefer to contact me instead."

"Hm. Do you think he will commit in the future?"

"I'm confident that I can persuade him to."

Finally, Gozaburo nodded his head. "Yes, you should gain his trust first by doing as he wishes. Looks like you are finally learning, Seto. Now get to work."

Seto nodded, then left quickly. Finally. He thought Gozaburo would never shut up and stop asking questions. He knew the CEO didn't quite believe him, so he'd have to be extra careful now. He couldn't let him find out about Yami. Gozaburo hated distractions of any kind, and the crimson-eyed sophomore was definitely a distraction. He didn't want to put him in any kind of danger.

For the third day in a row, Seto and Yami arrived at the school at almost exactly the same time. And for once, they weren't running late. When they walked into class together, they were greeted with loud clapping and whistles. Yami's cheeks turned slightly red, while Seto frowned in annoyance. Before either could ask what was going on, the teacher walked into the room, and after receiving a warning glare from Seto, motioned for the two to take their seats. All throughout the morning, students whispered excitedly whenever Yami passed by them. It wasn't until lunch that he finally had a chance to ask what was going on.

"Everyone's talking about you and Kaiba!" Tea said excitedly.

"Yeah, they're all talking about how you two ditched class together yesterday," Tristan added, grinning. "Rumor has it that you two are getting rather close."

Yugi grinned at his older brother. Last night, Yami had told him all about his time in the park with Kaiba. "Yeah Yami, exactly how close are you getting with Kaiba? You two sure seem to spend an awful lot of time together."

The older Mutou frowned. "We're just friends. No harm in spending time with a friend."

"Well, I don't think you should spend time with Mr. Moneybags at all!" Joey exclaimed. "You can't trust rich folk like him, Yami! They are always up to no good, thinking they are better than the rest of us."

Yami shook his head. "Seto's not like that at all. He's really sweet actually."

Everyone looked at each other. "I thought he only likes to be called Kaiba," Tea commented lightly, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"He told me I could call him Seto," Yami said with a shrug. He didn't really see what the big deal was.

Again, his friends all gave each other looks. Luckily for him, Joey decided to change the subject, who was getting rather annoyed of all this talk about Kaiba. "Hey guys, how about we all go up to the mountains this weekend?" The mountains were about an hour's drive from Domino City, and was a popular hang out for the friends. From time to time, they would go there to relax and get away from their parents a bit. The cabin that they stayed at belonged to the Mutou's.

Yugi, Tea, and Tristan all agreed at once. However, Yami shook his head. "Sorry, but I already have plans this weekend."

Joey frowned. "With _Kaiba_ you mean?" he asked in a disdainful voice.

"Well…yes, actually."

The blond growled low in his throat. That Kaiba was definitely asking for it. He needed to convince Yami that Kaiba was no good for him at all. And he knew just how to, with some of the digging that he has been doing.

After school was out, Joey convinced Yami to walk home with him (he made sure to get to him before Kaiba could). Turning to his best friend, he cleared his throat gently. When he had Yami's attention, he started the speech he had been planning all afternoon (instead of paying attention to his lessons). "Look Yami, I'm sorry about what I had said about Kaiba at lunch. I guess I'm still a little mad that he beat me, that's all. But that's still no reason for me to be such a jerk. I really am sorry."

As expected, Yami smiled. "It's alright, Joey."

They were silent for a moment, till the blond spoke again. "But you know, Yami, I was only trying to protect you. You are my best friend after all."

The other frowned at him. "Protect me from what?"

Joey sighed loudly. "I didn't want to tell you this, but there's this rumor that Kaiba is quite the player. I heard that at his old school, he'd be all nice to guys just to get them to sleep with him. You know, take them to their favorite places and offer them rides. He likes to play with people's minds."

Crimson eyes widened. That didn't sound like the Seto he knew at all…

The blond could already see the doubt starting to form. "I heard he does it cuz it's a nice, you know, _release_ and all for him, what with all the stress from his work."

"What- what does he do?"

Joey widened his eyes in fake shock. "He didn't tell ya? He works for Kaiba Corp, which is owned and run by his adopted father, Gozaburo Kaiba. Kaiba Corp is this huge company that manufactures weapons. They bully and buy out their competition, usually by illegal means."

Yami was finding it difficult to process all this information. Could this be why Seto never liked to talk about his family or work? Could he just be some sort of _game_ to him? "Joey, how do you know all of this?"

His best friend shrugged. "I've read about Kaiba Corp in the papers. And I know some people who went to Kaiba's old school."

He shook his head, his blond bangs flying. Of course he trusted his best friend, and he thought that he had trusted Seto as well. He really needed to talk to Seto about this. "I'm sorry Joey, but I really have to go now. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay then. No problem. See ya later." Joey waved bye as his friend rushed off, most definitely to go talk to Kaiba. He smiled to himself. "That's what ya get for trying to take what's mine, Moneybags."

Yami was breathing hard by the time he reached the looming Kaiba Corp building. He had run nearly the entire way. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he glanced over towards the alley where Seto had helped him with that thug a few nights ago. That night, he hadn't noticed the tall Kaiba Corp building. He remembered that Seto had told him that he just had gotten off from work. He must have been working at Kaiba Corp then to be so near to the alley. Which would mean that what Joey had said was true…

Determined to straighten this out, he walked into the grand glass doors of the building, and towards the receptionist desk. The receptionist looked up from her typing. "Welcome to Kaiba Corp. How may I assist you?"

"I'm looking for Seto Kaiba. It's urgent that I speak with him."

"Take the elevator up to the top floor. His office is to the right."

"Thank you." Yami did as he was told. Inside the elevator, he could feel his heart starting to pound madly inside his chest. After what seemed like a long time, the elevator finally dinged and its doors opened. He stepped out and headed immediately to the right, where he met another receptionist, this one doing some filing. "Hello. I'd like to speak with Seto Kaiba."

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Kaiba?" She looked up from her filing.

"No, but I really need to speak with him."

"I'm sorry, sir. But Mr. Kaiba only sees those with appointments. If you'd like, then I can schedule one for you right now."

Before he could reply, a familiar voice called out, "Yami? Well this is a pleasant surprise."

He turned around to find Seto walking up towards him, smiling and seeming genuinely glad that he was here. Or was this all part of his little game? "Seto, we need to talk."

The future CEO immediately caught the seriousness in the other's voice. His eyes, on the other hand, held something different. What though, he couldn't tell. "Sure. Come in to my office then."

The two walked into his spacious office, Seto shutting the door behind them, and both sat down on the leather couch. They were silent for several moments, Yami's mind swirling from everything that had happened. Yes, he wanted to understand Seto and to help him. However, he refused to merely be someone else's _game_.

Finally, he spoke, his voice rather quiet. "Seto…what am I to you?" He kept his head lowered, eyes trained on the plush dark blue carpet. He just couldn't look at him yet. If he did, he might end up losing his composure.

This question caught Seto rather off guard, though he didn't show it. "What do you mean?"

"Do you consider me a friend?" He continued to gaze at the carpet.

Seto thought about this, and sighed. "Honestly, Yami, I've never had any friends before. The closest person to me would be my younger brother." He paused. "Yami, what's this all about?"

Yami finally looked up and met his gaze, determined to keep his composure. "Why didn't you ever tell me that you were adopted? Or that you worked for Kaiba Corp?"

Blue narrowed slightly. He knew that there were plenty of articles on all about how Gozaburo had adopted him and his brother, but he didn't think Yami was the type who'd go looking it up or anything. Usually, people who went looking him up wanted something out of him. Maybe he was wrong about him after all. "It's none of your business. And don't you know it's not nice to go snooping around other people's business?"

The crimson-eyed boy noted the sudden coldness of the other's voice. Maybe he had realized that his game had been discovered. He suddenly got to his feet. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we should see each other any more. Good-bye, Seto." He walked towards the door, his hand on the handle when Seto spoke once more, his voice emotionless.

"It's Kaiba."

Yami nodded silently, but didn't bother to turn around. "Kaiba it is then." He opened the door and got out of the building as fast as he could, his heart rather heavy. Joey was right then. He really was just a game to Seto. How could he have been so wrong about him? That intense connection that he had felt- no, still feels- must be a fake one. There's no way that it could be real. It just… wasn't possible…

When he reached the game store, he found Joey heading up to the small store as well. "Oh hey Yami. I was just coming to talk to Yugi about the mountain trip this weekend." Actually, he had come by just so he could catch Yami coming back from Kaiba Corp.

"Right. About that. My plans have changed, so looks like I'll be able to go after all." He tried to sound as normal as he could.

"That's great!" Inside, Joey was cheering like mad. Looks like things with Kaiba went exactly as he thought it would. So long, Moneybags. He slung an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Let's go talk to Yugi then."

Yami could only manage a weak smile as they entered the store.

Back in his office, Seto sat at his desk, typing rapidly, almost furiously, on his laptop. He was so stupid to have let his guard down like that, actually thinking that Yami was somehow different from everyone else. Dealing with cut-throat businessmen, and having to live with a man like Gozaburo, had taught him that people were all the same- greedy, selfish, and power-hungry. The only person that didn't fit that category was his little brother Mokuba.

There was a soft knock on the door, a knock that Seto recognized as his brother's. "Come in, Mokuba."

The door opened, and short boy with spunky black hair whizzed in. He rushed over to where his brother was, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Heya Big Brother! How was your day?"

"Fine. How was school?"

Mokuba could immediately tell that his brother was lying. "It was okay, I guess." He looked at his brother with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

He nodded, knowing how hard their adopted father worked him. "How about we take a little break to the cabin this weekend then? We haven't been there in a while, and I hear there's lots of snow right now." He loved going to their cabin in the mountains, which was about an hour's drive away from Domino City. He tried to get his brother to go there as often as possible, knowing that it would relax him from just being away from Gozaburo and from Kaiba Corp. Their adopted father only allowed them to go on the notion that Seto needed time alone and away from everyone to work on "special" projects, and that Seto never went anywhere out of town without his brother by his side. But really, they went up there so they could play Duel Monsters, or so Seto could play the piano for Mokuba. His big brother did do some work though, so he'd have something to show to Gozaburo when they got back.

Seto looked up at his little brother, who was gazing at him with concerned grey eyes. He knew he loved to the mountains. And perhaps some fresh air would do him some good, clear his mind a bit. "Sure, the mountains sound like a great idea."

Mokuba smiled widely. Maybe while they were up in the mountains he could get Seto to tell him what was wrong, and hopefully, to help him with whatever it was. He had the feeling though, that it had something to do with the guy that he had met this week. His brother had told him all about his meetings with Yami, and to him, seemed happier than he had been in a long time. So, something must have gone terribly wrong between the two of them. If he finds out that Yami had hurt his big brother in any way, there was certainly trouble ahead for him. Nobody hurts his brother and gets away with it…

END OF CHAPTER

Gah… I'm so not good at writing arguments. Guess it's cuz I feel bad about making them fight and what not. I know it's really not that strong, and Seto probably seems like he did a quick 180 with how he felt about Yami. I'm basing that reaction off that he is probably tired and annoyed of everyone snooping into his life (he is the son of Gozaburo, after all).

Whew, long chapter this was! Or maybe it just seems like it cuz I kept changing my mind on things...Bah. Stupid mind just can't stick to one thing. ;)

So, who all really hates Joey now? I warned you that he'd be not so good in this fic. Anyways, next chapter…mountain trip! Bet you all know who's gonna see each other there…

Thanks so much for reading, and please review! ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 4 of ?

A/N: I'm alive, I'm alive. I write so many papers for classes, that I don't feel much like writing for my fic. But, after a little chat with Pysche, I suddenly got inspired to write today. So, here ya go! (Go and thank Pysche by leaving a nice long review for her! She has a cool story called Silver Lining.)

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 4

The next two days passed by in a blurry haze for Yami. He couldn't concentrate during his classes, nor on the activities of his friends. When Joey had informed the group that Yami was coming with them, they immediately had asked what had happened with his plans with Kaiba. He had only mumbled something about Kaiba having important business to take care of, which probably wasn't a lie anyways. When they were alone, his brother had tried to get out of him the real reason, but the older Mutou was quite adamant about keeping quiet, which made Yugi rather suspicious that something was definitely wrong.

During the classes that they were in together, Kaiba took to ignoring Yami as he did the rest of the students, instead focusing solely on his novel. It was during classes especially when Yami realized how much he missed the other's company. He also missed their before-class meetings. On both Thursday and Friday morning, the tall brunet was already sitting in his seat, reading his novel, by the time he had rushed in, late as usual. Luckily for him though, the teacher didn't seem too upset. Then again, the teacher probably still feared losing his job.

By Saturday morning, as his and Yugi's grandpa was driving the group up to the cabin, Yami was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake. Maybe he should have given Kaiba a chance to explain. Maybe it was that he didn't have a choice in working for Kaiba Corp. It would make sense then why he didn't like talking about his work or family- he'd needed to get away from both. Furthermore, being the adopted son of a wealthy businessman, Kaiba would definitely not like people "snooping" in his business. He was probably tired of everyone wanting to know everything about him. This would explain his sudden coldness when Yami blurted out that he knew about his adopted family and business. And with the whole game thing…well, he couldn't really completely trust what Joey's friends from the other school had said about Kaiba, now could he? They could be just trying to get back at him or something. With a sigh, Yami realized how much of a jerk he'd been, and decided immediately that on Monday he'd apologize to Seto. Hopefully, he would be forgiven and they could still become friends. And if he was really lucky, then they might become something even more…

Once they were all settled in, the friends spent the remaining morning and most of the afternoon playing games and laughing and joking together. Yami tried to act like he was having fun, but actually he couldn't keep his mind off of Seto and what he would say to him on Monday. By late afternoon, he grew weary of pretending and excused himself from the rest of the group to take a walk by himself. However, he didn't get very far when he heard Joey's voice calling out from behind him. He turned around just as his best friend caught up to him. "Hey Yami, where ya heading off to?"

He shrugged. "No where in particular. Just wanted to clear my mind."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, I noticed you've been kinda down these past few days." He knew that Yami had been thinking about Kaiba during all that time, which annoyed him greatly. He had thought that his little talk had gotten rid of Moneybags for sure. Apparently, his friend needed something else, or rather _someone_ else, to think about for a change. "So I was thinking that some time this week me and you could hang out together, ya know, just the two of us."

Yami looked at his friend curiously. "Just the two of us?" he echoed.

"Yeah. We could grab something to eat, maybe catch a movie. We never do anything just the two of us. It'll be fun, I promise." He grinned his characteristic grin.

He had once been informed by his brother that Joey may have a slight crush on him. At the time, he had laughed it off as something from Yugi's imagination. But now, after what Joey had just said, maybe his brother wasn't imagining things after all. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Joey. But I was hoping that I could patch things up with Seto this week." He winced slightly as his friend's grin immediately faded. He spoke again quickly before Joey could speak. "I know you don't trust him. But I really haven't given him a fair chance, and I'd like to hear his side of things first before I give up on him completely." He paused briefly. "I really am sorry, Joey." He could see the disappointment in Joey's eyes as the other stared back at him silently. But was there something else in them as well? Was he detecting some…anger as well?

The blond narrowed his eyes. He couldn't believe that after all that he had told him, he _still_ liked the guy. He friend was simply far too trusting sometimes. But what _really_ ticked him off was that, given a choice, Yami had apparently chosen Moneybags over him. He took a deep breath, exhaling sharply, trying to keep his cool, but having a rather difficult time doing it. "So, you're saying that you'd rather be with _him_ than with _me_?" He couldn't quite keep the anger and disappointment out of his voice.

Crimson eyes saddened at the look his friend was giving him. "I'm sorry, but I don't see you as anything more than a friend," he said quietly.

As Yami spoke, Joey's temper exploded, causing him to not pay attention to what the other was actually saying. "Tell me then, Yami," he spat out angrily, "why'd you chose him over me? Is it because he's rich and I'm not?" He shook his head. "I'd never thought that you were that type, but I guess you had me fooled all these years. So what, was I just something to pass the time with, before some rich guy came along that liked you? Were you just pretending to care about me, so I'd stick around and keep you company?" He breathed heavily in deep and uneven breaths.

Yami couldn't believe what his friend was saying. Never before had he seen him act this way towards him. He tried to explain. "I never pretended to care about you, Joey. I do care about you greatly, just not in the way that you want me to." He paused, trying to collect his thoughts. "You're my best friend. _My best friend_. I'd never do anything to hurt you." He looked at his friend with pleading eyes, pleading that he would understand.

Unfortunately, anger and jealously had clouded Joey's mind so much that he wasn't even listening to the other's words. "Fine then!" he shouted with as much anger as he could. "If _Kaiba's_ all that you want, then Kaiba's all that you'll have. This friendship is OVER!" He spun around and started to stalk back towards the rest of the group.

Crimson eyes widened in shock, and he rushed after his friend. "Joey, wait!" He placed a hand on his shoulder. As soon as he did though, Joey angrily threw it off, then turned around abruptly and swung at him. His fist connected squarely with Yami's jaw, sending him sprawling onto the ground. For a long moment, they stared at each in silence. Yami quietly picked himself up off the ground, one hand on his sore jaw, his lip bleeding slightly, staring at his friend in disbelief.

It took that silent moment for Joey to realize what he'd just done. His eyes widened, the anger in them suddenly gone, and he reached out a hand towards Yami, stumbling over his apology. "Y-Yami, I…I'm…"

However, Yami slowly shook his head at him, then turned and bolted towards the woods. Joey was too stunned at his own actions to chase after him, and could only stare instead at his friend's retreating form.

Yami ran long and hard, tears blurring his vision, not really paying attention to where he was going. He just had to get away. How did things get so messed up so fast? First, he had messed things up with Seto- he was stupid to even think that he could be forgiven after all that he'd done. Then, he finds out that his best friend likes him, a fact that seemingly had messed up their long-time friendship. And he'd never thought in his whole life that Joey would ever raise a hand against him. But he did, so now he was forced to question their entire friendship. He guessed that he didn't know him as well as he thought he did. He didn't know that he liked him, didn't know that he had a temper, and didn't know that he could become so violent so fast. His world had just been turned upside down it seemed.

Night descended quickly, the chilly air closing in around Yami. He was walking now, arms wrapped around himself for warmth, gazing around at his dark surroundings. He had no idea where he was, and had been wandering around for what had seemed like hours. Had he really run off so far? Nothing around him seemed even remotely familiar, and he had been in these woods several times before. With a tired sigh he sat down on a fallen log, shivering slightly. He supposed he should wait till morning to find his way back, assuming that he didn't freeze to death over night. He had forgotten his scarf back at the cabin, so he turned up his jacket's collar in an attempt to ward off the cold from his neck. It didn't help much. He closed his eyes with another sigh. If he hadn't been so stupid and brash with his thoughts, he could be out on his date with Seto right now, instead of freezing in the middle of the woods. He imagined that they would attend some famous concert, the sweet sounds of the piano rising above all of the other instruments. Afterwards, they would take a walk in the park, and sit at the benches around the dragon's fountain, wrapped up in each other's arms. Then, Seto would tilt his chin up, and their lips would meet in a gentle first k---.

The sound of boots crunching on the snow snapped Yami out of his little fantasy, and he opened his eyes immediately. He glanced around, spotting a flickering, dim light behind him. As the light got brighter, the sounds got louder as well. He could also faintly hear a familiar voice calling out, "Yami! Can you hear me! Yami!" Crimson eyes widened in disbelief. It couldn't be him…

Suddenly, the light was shown directly into his eyes, causing him to bring up a hand to shield them, but still managing to temporarily blind him. When the light was removed, he brought his hand down, blinking rapidly. When his vision finally returned, he found himself staring at a rather familiar-looking trench coat, its dark color blending in with the night around him. Slowly, Yami raised his eyes until they finally met with a pair of rather concerned blue eyes. He couldn't believe he was here…

Relief flooded over Seto as he placed the flashlight on the ground and sat down on the log next to Yami. "Yami! Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. While he and Mokuba had been playing a game of Duel Monsters in their cabin, Yami's friends had rushed by their window, and he overheard them exclaiming how Yami had been missing for several hours now after having gone into the woods by himself. He immediately had grabbed his trench coat and scarf, as well as a large flashlight, telling Mokuba to stay put as he rushed out of the cabin. As angry as he had been at Yami that day in his office, he still couldn't quite put the other out of his mind, though of course he didn't show it.

Yami stared at Seto with wide eyes. "Seto…what are you doing here?" he asked in a quiet voice, ignoring his question.

"My brother and I have a cabin up here. I had heard that you were missing, so I went looking for you." He paused, then repeated his question. "Are you alright?"

A small smile formed on his lips, the first real one in days it seemed. "I'm fine. My neck is a bit cold though." He laughed quietly, a bit embarrassed that he had said something that sounded so stupid.

However, Seto didn't seem to mind. He unwrapped the long, dark scarf from around his neck, and wrapped it around Yami's instead, making sure not to choke him with it. "There. Better now?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Much." Without thinking, Yami suddenly threw his arms around Seto's neck, hugging him tightly. A bit stunned, the other slowly brought his arms up around his waist, holding him loosely. The words starting tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Seto, I'm so sorry for the way that I had acted that day. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, and I shouldn't have listened to what other people were saying. I'm sorry for not giving you a chance, and I really, really hope that I haven't messed things up between us for good. I really like you, Seto. More than I've liked anyone else before. Please, please say you'll forgive me. I don't want to lose you. I'm so, so sorry." Tears were falling freely down his cheeks now, leaving a cold, frozen trail.

Seto tightened his arms around the other, drawing him tight against his chest. "Shhh, don't cry Yami. Of course I forgive you." He paused slightly. "I guess…I jumped to conclusions a bit too hastily as well, and for that I am sorry." He wasn't used to apologizing to people- it was usually the other way around- so he felt a bit awkward saying one now. But it didn't really matter to him anyways. All that mattered to him at the moment was that Yami was safe.

The pair stayed wrapped up in each other's arms for the next several moments, till Seto cleared his throat gently. "We should get going," he said quietly. "Mokuba will probably be worried about me by now."

Yami nodded and pulled back a bit. "My friends are probably worried about me too."

They both stood up, Seto grabbing the flashlight with one hand as he did so. He draped his other arm around Yami's shoulders, holding him close. He felt the other wrap an arm around his waist. They walked in silence, till at last they came to a small clearing, showing a patch of the dark sky above them. The taller boy glanced up for a moment before continuing on. When the other gave him a curious look, he smiled slightly. "I was looking for the North Star," he paused to point it out with his flashlight, "to make sure that we are heading in the right direction."

"Is that how you found me? By looking at the stars?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I just…knew where to find you…" He couldn't really explain _how_ he knew- he just did.

As the pair continued to walk, they began telling each other stories about their families. This time though, Seto did a bit more of the talking, telling Yami about how Gozaburo had adopted him and his brother, and how he despised working for him. He wanted Yami to know the real him, and not the person portrayed by the media. He had never been so open to anyone before, except maybe Mokuba, even telling Yami about how he wanted to change KaibaCorp into a technology-based company, maybe even into a game company. The other nodded and smiled encouragingly, saying it would be cool to see Duel Monsters come to life during a duel.

When Yami mentioned that some people from his old school were spreading rumors about him, Seto gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean? Before Domino High, I've always been privately tutored." He grimaced briefly at the memories of long, tedious hours of studying. "Though I would have preferred otherwise." He frowned a bit. Apparently, someone was going around spreading lies about him. He didn't like that at all. He'd have to find out who this person is. Though he didn't think that Yami would continue to listen to this person, this person still had much to answer for.

Now it was Yami's turn to be confused. Hadn't Joey said that he knew people from Seto's old school? But why would his friend lie to him like that? Then suddenly a thought hit him: had Joey been _purposely_ trying to break him and Seto up? It _would_ make sense, especially if Joey did like him and all. Yami just found it difficult to believe that his friend would do something like that.

Back at the Mutou's cabin, Yugi, Joey, Tea and Tristan met back up. None of them had been able to find Yami, and were growing more worried by the minute. Joey was especially feeling bad, knowing that it was his fault that he was missing in the first place. To make matters worse, while looking for him, he had come across another cabin, where he had apparently met Kaiba's younger brother. The short black-haired boy had been standing outside the open door, anxiously looking in the direction of the woods. When Joey had described Yami and asked if he had seen him, the boy brightened up some.

"Yami? That's the name of a guy Big Brother had gone out looking for! He seemed really worried about him when he found out that he was missing, which is strange."

"Big brother?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, his name is Seto, and he's the best brother ever!"

Joey suddenly felt a bit sick to his stomach. He just had to find Yami before Kaiba did. "Thanks for the help kid, but I gotta get back to looking for my bud. Later." He rushed off once more towards the woods, not seeing the boy waving bye to him.

Unfortunately though, he still had had no luck in finding Yami, and was now back at the cabin with the rest of their friends. It was getting late, and the friends decided that it might be best to wait till morning to continue searching for Yami. Tea hugged Yugi comfortingly, reassuring him several times that Yami would be alright. The freshman still looked worriedly towards the woods, wondering if his brother might be injured or something. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw in the distance two people walking towards the cabin. "Hey guys, look!" He pointed towards the pair.

As the pair got closer, Yugi recognized his brother's unmistakable hair style. "Yami!" He shouted happily, rushing towards his brother and giving him a huge hug. He let go of his brother, and noticed that he was wearing a dark blue scarf that was definitely not his. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at his brother's companion and nearly fell over in shock. _Seto Kaiba!_ How had he found his brother, and what was he doing here in the first place? He watched in amazement as his brother tried to return the scarf, the other insisting that he keep it. With a small wave goodbye to Yami, the tall brunet started to head back towards his own cabin. By then, Joey, Tea and Tristan had joined them, all very eager to hear what had happened to Yami. However, Yugi noticed that something rather strange was going on between Yami and Joey. He noticed that the blond was trying to catch Yami's eye, but his brother was seemingly refusing to. Had something happened between them? He'd have to find out later.

As the friends walked into their warm cabin, Seto returned to his own to find his brother wearing a rather ridiculous smile. The older Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Now I know what Yami looks like finally." Seto had told him all about his meetings with him, and he was dying to find out what he looked like. "I saw you two heading out of the woods. So I take it that everything is okay between you guys?"

Seto frowned. "Yeah, everything is fine. But I think someone might have been purposely trying to break us apart, giving him reasons to doubt me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Yami mentioned something about people from my "old school" spreading rumors about me. I told him that before I started going to Domino High, I had always been privately tutored. He got this rather confused look on his face. So, I think that someone is going around spreading lies about me to him."

Mokuba nodded, then thought of something. "This blond-haired guy came by the cabin. He was looking for Yami too. When I told him that you were out looking for him as well, he got this panicky look in his eyes and rushed off. He seemed to be in even more of a hurry to find him."

"Did you catch his name?"

He shook his head.

The only one of Yami's friends that he knew of who had blond hair was that Wheeler boy. Could he be the one spreading lie about him to Yami? The kid was always glaring at him. He'd have to check into this.

The next morning, Joey walked out of the cabin, holding a leather jacket in one hand. Yami had apparently forgotten it when he decided to take a short walk, so he was planning on giving it to him and apologizing for yesterday. All last night, Yami had ignored him, refusing to even meet his gaze. He hadn't told their friends what had happened between them, which gave Joey some hope that Yami was willing to still be friends with him at least. He'd just have to avoid saying anything negative about Kaiba for a while. Which will be a very difficult task to do. But he had to, if he wanted to get back on to Yami's good side.

When he finally found Yami, brown eyes narrowed and he gripped the jacket in his hand even tighter. _Kaiba_ had already found him, and was offering his trench coat to him. He saw him shake his head, then saw the brunet wrapping his arms around him! He really felt like storming over there and giving Moneybags a strong punch in the face, but he restrained himself, reminding himself that he must get back on Yami's good side, and punching Kaiba was definitely not the way to do that. With an angry growl, he turned and stormed back towards the cabin. He'd find some way to get rid of Kaiba for good…

Back in the city, as Yugi and Grandpa were inside the game shop getting dinner ready, Yami was unloading the car, smiling to himself as he did so. He still wore Seto's scarf wrapped around his neck, the brunet insisting that he keep it as a gift. He was really happy with how things were going with him. They seemed to have picked up right from where they left off. Seto had found him earlier this morning to say that he had to go back to the city with his brother for work, but he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye first. They had stood together for several moments, Seto's arms wrapped tightly around him. When he finally had to leave, he gave Yami a small goodbye kiss on the forehead. The boy hadn't stopped smiling since. Things were definitely going good.

"Yami?"

The low voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned around only to find Joey standing behind him, looking at him with concerned brown eyes. For a long moment they just stared at each other, till Yami finally broke the silence. "Did you want something, Joey?"

Joey shifted his stance a little, looking at the ground as he did so. "Uh…yeah. Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted up at the mountains. I was just angry you know, let my temper get the best of me. I really am sorry for what I said…and for hitting you." He shifted some more uncomfortably.

Yami nodded. "Thank you for your apology." He still wasn't sure if he could trust Joey. He picked up the remaining bags. "Grandpa and Yugi are waiting for me. I'll…see you at school tomorrow. Night." He quickly walked past the blond and into the game shop, not looking back once.

Once the door was shut, Joey frowned and growled lowly. This was all that Kaiba's fault, driving a rift between him and his best friend. There was definitely some payback in his near future. He just had to figure what.

END OF CHAPTER

Yay, they are back together now! This was a fun chapter to write. I enjoyed writing it.

So was Joey hitting Yami a big surprise? That wasn't actually originally planned- just kinda happened. Thought it went well with the scene. Nice reason for Yami to go and get himself lost. ;)

Next chapter…Joey finds a way to end Seto and Yami's happiness. Though, it takes an unexpected turn. I think you all know what's gonna happen…

Thanks for reading, and please review! ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read. CHARACTER DEATH in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 5 of ?

A/N: Yay for me, finals are done! As promised, here's the next chapter!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 5

Yami smiled happily as he rested his head on Seto's shoulder. It was the following Saturday, and they were sitting on one of benches surrounding the dragon fountain, wrapped up in each other's arms. They had just come from attending a beautiful piano concert, and Seto had suggested that they take a walk in the park, leading him down the familiar pathways, now covered with snow, to the dragon fountain. It had become their favorite place- they spent every day after school there, though their time together was often short, as Seto had to work. But Yami didn't care how short their time together was. He was just happy that they were together.

The sophomore shivered a bit from the cold. They usually came here during the afternoons, when it wasn't nearly so cold. The temperature seemed to drop drastically as soon as the sun had gone down. With a sigh, Yami snuggled closer against Seto, burying his face into the other's coat. However, his date seemed to have other plans…

He felt the brunet's warm hand underneath his chin, gently lifting it up. Crimson eyes widened as he noticed the faint smile on the other's lips as he brought his head down. His eyes slid shut as Seto pressed his lips against his own, in a sweet, gentle kiss. Yami could no longer feel the cold as they continued to kiss, and knew that he'd remember this moment for the rest of his life…

The next several weeks passed by in a blur for both Yami and Seto. They spent nearly every day after school together, usually in the park, with the dragon as the only other presence around them. On Saturdays, Seto would take Yami out to some place nice, but they would always return to the dragon fountain afterwards. The crimson-eyed duelist couldn't believe how well things were going between them.

Seto was also pleased with how well things were going. However, he was rather worried as well, because he knew that his excuse of meeting with a "potential future investor" was starting to wear thin with Gozaburo. He could tell that the CEO was starting to suspect that something else was going on. He needed a new excuse to spend time with Yami, and soon. Mokuba had offered to cover for him, but he didn't want to put him in any kind of trouble. Which is why he had yet to formally introduce Yami and Mokuba to each other. He did not want his adopted father to suspect that Mokuba might know some useful information about him. He had explained this to both of them, and thankfully, both seemed to understand. One of these days, he'll figure out a way for the two of them to meet without raising any suspicions from Gozaburo.

The future CEO of KaibaCorp was quite surprised to find the current CEO waiting for him when he walked into his office one day after just having spent the afternoon with Yami. The CEO had a very displeased expression on his face, one that Seto knew all too well. He wasted no time as Seto set down his briefcase on the floor next to his desk.

"I've heard some rather displeasing news about you, Seto. That you've been meeting with some boy after school?"

Seto felt his blood run cold, but he remained calm on the outside. "Oh? And what's your source?"

"One of your schoolmates actually. Joseph Wheeler. He said he's seen you with this boy every day after school."

Blue eyes narrowed coldly. He knew that that Wheeler boy was trouble, considering he already had almost broken him and Yami up once.

"He even has proof."

A small white envelope was tossed to Seto, which he caught easily. Opening it, he found several pictures of him and Yami walking in the park, a few of them standing outside the game shop. And here the mutt was supposed to be Yami's "best friend". He had always thought that friendship was meaningless…until he had met Yami. But then again, they were much more than just friends. He had planned on telling him this weekend…

His thoughts were interrupted by Gozaburo's harsh voice. "I had asked the Wheeler boy what was in it for him, and he had only replied that he had personal reasons for doing this. I don't care what those reasons are. However…this could be extremely detrimental to the company, and I know that you know this, Seto. This boy has already taken valuable time away from your work. There seems then to be only one solution."

"And what is that?" Seto said evenly. If Gozaburo even _thought_ about harming Yami, he'd push that bastard out the window this very instant.

"I've decided to relocate the company to America. We leave immediately."

Blue eyes widened. This couldn't be happening…

The CEO quite enjoyed the look on his adopted son's face. "The servants are packing as we speak. Your brother is already waiting in the limo."

No…he couldn't leave. He couldn't just leave Yami like this….

Gozaburo smiled triumphantly. "Come along, Seto. Get your briefcase and let's go." He picked up his own briefcase and headed out the door.

Numbly, Seto picked up his own briefcase and followed the man down the hall. He was silent as they rode down the elevator, and walked out of the building. A servant opened the limo door, and Seto was faced with an extremely sad Mokuba. The taller brother smiled faintly, then turned his head to stare out the limo's window. It was already becoming dark outside. He wondered what Yami was doing at this very instant, what he would think when he would find out that he had left the country. He would probably be heartbroken. They didn't even have the chance to say goodbye…

As the limo passed by Domino City Park, Seto suddenly made up his mind. He refused to leave Japan without first saying goodbye to Yami, and telling him how he felt. He was going to tell him this weekend, after a romantic candlelit dinner for two, as they sat together in front of the dragon fountain. But now, thanks to that mutt Joey Wheeler, he'd never get the chance to. This was his only chance now.

At the next red light, Seto popped up the lock, shoved the door open, and jumped out of the vehicle. He could hear both his brother and his adopted father calling out after him as he rushed down the cold, icy sidewalk. Snow was falling heavily around him, but only one thing was on his mind: find Yami. As he crossed the street, he didn't even notice the bus until he heard the driver honking his horn madly. He glanced up and turned around as the bus's bright lights washed over him, blinding him. The last thoughts to drift through his mind were:

_I'm so sorry Yami. Please forgive me…_

The next morning at school, Yami waited for Seto at the school's gates. They always waited for each other now in the mornings. However, it was usually the brunet who did the waiting, as Yami was predictably late most mornings. The sophomore glanced worriedly at his watch. Seto had never been this late before- the late bell had rung nearly five minutes ago. He was growing more worried by the minute. Perhaps his adopted father had kept him at work today.

Another five minutes passed before Yami finally decided to go inside. What greeted him his first class period shocked him- his entire class was crying and sniffling quietly, small groups of students huddling together in various places around the room. Even the teacher was sniffling quietly at his desk, and he rarely cried. They all looked up as he walked in the door, the girls becoming even more teary-eyed. What surprised him even more was seeing Yugi there with their group of friends. They were crying as well.

He made his way over to the small group. "What's going on?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Yugi came over and gave him a long hug. "I'm so sorry, Yami. I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?" He was still rather confused.

"It's Kaiba. H-He…he's…" The freshman started to tear up again and couldn't continue.

Crimson eyes widened with worry. "What happened to Seto?" He looked around at the small group of friends. "Is he alright?"

Tristan came over and placed a gentle hand on Yami's shoulder. "There was an accident last night. The bus driver never saw him with the snow and the dark. He…he didn't make it." He bowed his head in sadness.

With those words, Yami's world suddenly came crashing down. He sank down into a seat, his mind and body going numb. "No…" he whispered. "Seto…Please no…"

The younger Mutou once again embraced his older brother. Their three friends came up and embraced them as well. But all Yami could think about were those deep blue eyes….

Later that week on Friday, the five friends held a small memorial for their classmate to say goodbye to him. They had learned through the media that the Kaiba family had packed up and left for America, after holding a small, personal family-only memorial for Seto. The Kaiba family had decided to move their company to America, as staying in Domino was too heartbreaking for them.

The five friends gathered together around the dragon fountain, Yami wearing Seto's dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He was tired from crying so much that week, as the realization set in that Seto was truly gone. He missed him terribly. Crimson eyes gazed sadly up at the fierce dragon before him. Even the dragon's eyes seemed to be sad, though he knew that couldn't possibly be true. He had been to this fountain every day since learning of Seto's death, sitting on one of the benches, wrapped up in his scarf, crying his eyes out. He missed him so much…

The day after the memorial, Yami received an unexpected package in the mail. Crimson eyes widened as he recognized the writing on the front. Seto…

He tore open the envelope to find a CD inside. On the front of the case, it said simply FOR YAMI. With trembling hands, he placed the CD into his CD player and pushed the play button. As Seto's rich deep voice filled the room, Yami could feel his tears beginning to well up once more.

"Hey, Yami. I know I could have just given you this tonight when we have our date, but I wanted to surprise you with something a little bit early. This is the first of many surprises that I have for you tonight. I hope you that you like it, and I'll see you later tonight."

A soft, slow melody began to play. The tears started falling freely as Yami instantly recognized the tune. Seto had made him a recording of him playing _The First Time_, the piano piece that he had once played for him long ago in the auditorium. He closed his eyes as he listened to the beautiful song, tears still falling down his face, as a flood of memories suddenly washed over him.

_Goodbye Seto… I will never forget you… I love you…_

TEN YEARS LATER

The young man came to a stop, gazing up at the fierce dragon with its tail in its mouth, representing the cyclic nature of things. He gently fingered the worn, dark blue scarf around his neck. He always wore this particular scarf whenever he came here, which was at least once a week. When it was too warm for wearing scarves, he simply cradled the scarf in his arms. He liked coming here to talk. It was here where he felt closest to Seto…

"Hello, Seto. I just thought I'd tell you that I'm engaged now. Joey proposed to me yesterday, and I accepted. Our friends are throwing us a dinner party tonight." He laughed quietly. "I'm running late as usual. But I wanted to let you know. I'll talk to you later then."

He walked out of the little area, thinking about how much things had changed. He now helped run the Kame game store with Yugi, their grandfather having passed away two years earlier. After Seto's death, Joey had been extremely caring towards him, always there when he had needed someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, whenever Yugi was not there. They had officially started dating in college, Joey convincing him that he needed to finally move on, that Seto would want him to be happy. He seemed very understanding of Yami's need to go to the fountain every week and talk to Seto, which Yami had faithfully done for the past ten years.

Over the years, Yami had taken greatly to Duel Monsters, and as the game's popularity rose, so did his own popularity. He was now the World Champion, nicknamed the "King of Games", and was quite famous worldwide. He always participated in the tournaments hosted in Japan, and often traveled outside of Japan to tournaments as well. Joey was third-ranked in the world, and in between tournaments, had a job of teaching young, beginning duelists the tricks of the game. The second-ranked duelist was a mysterious man from America, rumored to have his roots in Japan. Both Yami and Joey had dueled him several times in various tournaments, but always he hid himself behind a dragon's mask, using a powerful dragon deck, both of which had earned him the nickname the "Dragon Master". It was a well-known fact that only Yami could beat him, and their duels were awaited anxiously by all fans of the game. Joey, on the other hand, almost always lost to the Dragon Master, which annoyed him greatly. But he didn't mind so much, as he always had Yami cheering him on from the sidelines.

As Yami headed out of the park, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something familiar across the street. A very familiar-looking dark blue trench coat to be exact. He walked quickly along the street, straining to see through the passing cars at the tall man wearing the coat. Trench coats weren't exactly popular, as they tended to look ridiculous on most people, and he knew of only one person who could successfully pull the look off. Glancing both ways to make sure it was clear, he rushed across the street and after the man. He was several steps ahead of him, but from the distance Yami could tell that the man had dark hair at least. Try as he might though, he could never quite catch up to him. He spent the next half an hour chasing after him, till he finally lost him when he got stuck at a red light, watching helplessly as the man turned at a corner and out of his sight.

The famous duelist took several deep breaths as he walked slowly along the sidewalk towards the restaurant where he was supposed to meet his fiancé and friends. He was nearly an hour late now, but his lateness was the furthest thing away from his mind. All his could think about was that man in the dark blue trench coat. It must have been his imagination. He must be just seeing things, his mind playing tricks on him…

As he approached the restaurant, the door flew open and out came Joey and Yugi. The younger Mutou had grown a bit taller since high school, but was still rather short compared to the rest of their friends. He wore a worried expression on his face, but that soon changed to one of relief as he rushed towards Yami. "Yami, are you alright? We were getting so worried about you!"

Yami smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for being late. I just…got caught up in something, that's all."

Brown eyes frowned at this. "Where were you?"

"Umm…I was at the fountain, and I guess I just lost track of time. I really am sorry, Joey."

While he didn't exactly like Yami going to that stupid dragon fountain, he didn't make a bit deal out of it simply because it didn't matter much, seeing as how Kaiba was gone anyways. But for Yami to miss _their _celebration party in order to talk to _him_…Joey wondered if you could be angry at a dead guy. "Well…I'm just glad that you're safe, that's all." He slung an arm over the other's shoulders. "Come on. We should head inside."

Later that night, back in their small living room, Yugi questioned Yami about his whereabouts before the dinner party. They never kept any secrets from each other. "So tell me Yami…what's the real reason why you were so late to the dinner party tonight?"

Yami hesitated, but knew he couldn't lie to his younger brother. "I was at the fountain, but only for a little while. As I was leaving the park, I thought I saw someone…"

An eyebrow rose curiously. "Who?"

"I saw a man wearing a long, dark trench coat."

Purple eyes widened, knowing immediately whom his brother was talking about.

"I tried to catch up to him, to see his face. But I ended up losing him at a red light."

"Whoa…" He looked gently at his brother. "But Yami. You do realize that it couldn't possibly have been him, right? The dead don't exactly come back…"

"I know, Yugi, I know." He paused slightly. "I guess it was just wishful thinking, that's all. Just my imagination working overtime." He gave a shaky laugh.

Yugi smiled. "Well, we should get some sleep. Big tournament tomorrow."

Yami brightened at the mention of dueling. "Yes, the sponsor is KC, the gaming company from America, and the maker of these duel disks." He paused. "I wonder if the KC stands for anything. We never did find out."

He shrugged. "Maybe we'll find out tomorrow."

END OF CHAPTER

Finally, we are back to the present time! Yayness!

Okay, okay, so I'm not so good with overly sad and dramatic parts, and I'm really not good with goodbyes. Hope it wasn't too sappy and sad for you.

Next chapter, Seth gets formally introduced (you all knew that was him Yami was chasing after, right?). Lots of confusion this will end up causing, and a certain blond will definitely not be too happy with this…

Hopefully, I'll have an update by Christmas at least. Never know though, with all the holiday junk that's going on. But I'll try.

Thanks for reading, and please review! ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 6 of ?

A/N: Sorry I'm a few days late. Been busy with holiday stuff. Glad that's all over. Anyways, hope everyone had a happy holiday time. Enjoy the next chapter!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 6

The dueling arena was packed with duelists from around the world, as well as a multitude of media. Everyone was excited, not only because of the prestige of the tournament itself, but also because it marked the return of Kaiba Corporation to Domino City. Kaiba Corp, previously known for making weapons, was now the world's leader in gaming technology. The change from weapons to games had taken place nearly nine years ago, after the untimely death of the company's then-CEO, Gozaburo Kaiba. Now, the company was run by his adopted son, Seth Kaiba, an orphan whom he had met upon arriving in America and adopted almost immediately into the Kaiba family. Seth had an uncanny resemblance to Seto Kaiba, Gozaburo's deceased adopted son. Many thought that, in addition to the man's obviously brilliant mind, that that was the reason why Gozaburo had adopted him, because he resembled his lost son so much. However, at his request, reasons being that the past was just too painful, it was never revealed to Seth about Seto's existence. He never knew that, besides Mokuba, he had had another adopted brother…

Upon Mokuba's insistence, Seth had taken to wearing a dragon mask whenever he dueled. His little brother thought that it'd be "cool" to be all mysterious during duels. As a result, no one even knew that the CEO of Kaiba Corp was actually the second-ranked duelist known as the Dragon Master. However, at the KC Tournament, Seth decided that he would reveal who the Dragon Master truly was, much to Mokuba's annoyance.

"But why Seth, do you want people to know that you're the Dragon Master?" Mokuba complained, moments before the pre-tournament breakfast was about to begin. Seth was scheduled to give a short welcome speech, and had decided that it was then he would take off his mask.

"Because it would promote Kaiba Corp even more. Just think of all the publicity we would get when I become World Champion." He smirked at the thought. "Finally, I'm going to defeat that King of Games, Yami Mutou."

Mokuba smiled uneasily. He wondered if the World Champion even remembered his brother, and what his reaction would be at seeing Seth. That was actually the reason why he had Seth wear the mask- he really didn't want to bring up the past, and Yami seeing Seth might just end up doing that…

The announcer's voice could be loudly heard over the speakers. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, here is the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seth Kaiba!"

The brothers walked out from where they were hidden, Seth having slipped on his dragon mask, his long silver-white trench coat flowing behind him. A murmur of surprise went through the crowd as they approached the podium. Once at the podium, Seth leaned forward into the microphone.

"As the CEO of Kaiba Corp, I would like to begin by welcoming you to the KC Tournament!" From behind his mask, Seth smirked as the murmurs continued. "Yes, as you all have probably figured out by now, I am indeed the duelist known as the Dragon Master." He paused to take off his mask. "I look forward to dueling in honor of my family name and of my company. Only the best duelists from around the world have been invited to participate, and we all are looking forward to some great duels. On behalf of Kaiba Corporation, I hope that you enjoy this pre-tournament breakfast. Then, let the duels begin!"

The crowd broke into a wild applause as Seth stepped down from the podium to join his brother at their private table. Excited murmurs ran throughout the crowd as people talked about this huge surprise. Seth Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp, was actually the Dragon Master!

One table however, was not cheering, but rather was silent.

Yami had felt the color drain from his face when he first had heard the Kaiba name being mentioned, then had felt a bit dizzy as he watched the tall man walk towards the podium. He must have been the same man he had seen the night before. After all, not many wear trench coats…

When the tall man had taken off his mask, the World Champion had thought that his heart would just about stop. His eyes had widened in surprise at finally seeing the face behind the mask. The eyes seemed a darker blue, and the hair was shorter, a lighter shade of brown but with darker streaks running through it. Yami could hardly believe what he was seeing, and could not tear his gaze away from the man as he sat down next to a dark-haired man in his twenties.

As the CEO sat eating his breakfast, he felt that someone was watching him. Sure, plenty of people were giving him stares at his unexpected news, but this…was different. Frowning, he glanced up, trying to pinpoint from whom this particular stare was coming from. Blue eyes gazed over the chattering guests, until they finally settled on a pair of crimson eyes. Of course, Seth recognized him from their many duels. He guessed the other must have been surprised (as everyone else was) at his true identity. But he sensed there was something more as well…For long moments the two young men stared at one another. Now usually, people would turn away from his stare, but this one didn't. How… intriguing. He had noticed that during their duels, the young man was never afraid to look him in the eyes. He had always been intrigued and impressed by that.

He felt a small tap on his shoulder, forcing him to break his staring contest. Seth smirked once at his rival before looking over at his brother.

"See anything interesting?" the twenty-year-old asked.

Seth inclined his head towards the crimson-eyed man. "I guess the World Champion is quite surprised at seeing me."

Mokuba glanced at said champion, who had at last turned away and was now talking to his friends. "Uhh…yeah. I guess everyone is surprised," he muttered quietly. He knew that Yami would inevitably end up dueling Seth for the championship- it always ended up that way- so it was only a matter of time before Yami would be able to talk to him. From the look on Yami's face, it appeared that he had not forgotten about his brother, even after a decade had passed. He wondered how much of the past he would decide bring up…

Brown eyes narrowed dangerously towards the table where the CEO sat. Where the hell did the Kaiba family find this guy? No one could mistake his eerie resemblance to Moneybags. He watched with growing irritation as his fiancé finally stopped staring at the brunet, turning back towards their friends. It was bad enough that Yami was always going to that stupid fountain to "talk" to Moneybags. Now, there was this stupid look-alike around as well. And to think, all this time he had been the Dragon Master! That made him even angrier, that all this time he's been losing to some Moneybags-look-alike. Well, once and for all, he's was going to beat the Dragon Master, and prove to Yami that he was better. In the meantime, it would be probably be best if Yami stayed as far away from Seth Kaiba as possible. Wouldn't want to start bringing up old memories…

Later that afternoon, Yami had escaped the thrilling and noisy tournament arena in favor of a more quiet and serene place. He had won his first duels with ease, but he really needed some time alone to think. Ever since that pre-tournament breakfast, when he had seen the face behind the Dragon Master's mask, his thoughts had been a swirling, jumbling mess. He seemed to only be able to focus during his duels. Throughout the day, he had caught glimpses of the Dragon Master, walking along briskly with a dark-haired younger man. He guessed that that must be Mokuba Kaiba, whom he had never gotten the chance to meet ten years ago. He wondered now if he had been at his adopted brother's duels in the past- he must have been around somewhere, supporting his brother. He wondered also if Seth Kaiba knew anything about Seto…or about their relationship.

With a tired sigh, the top-ranked duelist sat down on a bench, and gazed up with longing at the majestic dragon before him. Even after all these years, he still missed him so much. Of course he was happy with Joey- but a part of him would always miss Seto. Yami began to unconsciously fiddle with the engagement ring on his finger, twirling it around and around. It felt…odd there, out-of-place. Like it didn't belong there. And Yami had absolutely no idea why.

The sound of boots crunching against dried leaves and twigs snapped Yami out of his thoughts. He turned around, almost calling out Seto's name when he saw the approaching figure, his silver-white trench coat flowing behind him. However, he managed to clamp his mouth shut just in time, and simply stared as the man made his way down the path. He stopped at the bench next to Yami's, but didn't sit down, instead staring up at the dragon with a curious gaze. The top-ranked duelist's heart was pounding madly as he continued to stare up at the other. There were so many things that he wanted to ask him, so many things to say. But he wasn't sure if any of those things would be appropriate. He wasn't sure if he should bring up the past or not.

Long moments passed before the taller of the two decided to speak. "No cheerleaders this time?"

Now, even his deep, rich voice reminded Yami of Seto. He wondered why he had never noticed that before. The World Champion smiled slightly, glad that the other had spoken first. The Dragon Master had always referred to his group of friends as his "cheerleaders", usually making some sort of comment about them during their duels. "I needed some time alone." His heart started to return back to normal.

"I hope I'm not intruding then."

"Not at all." They were silent once more, Yami starting to forget about his hundreds of questions, his hundreds of thoughts, his heart no longer pounding in his chest like mad. Seto also had always had this calming effect on him with his presence alone. "So you have a little brother? I never knew that."

Seth smiled fondly. "Yes. He's the one that made me wear that mask. Thought it'd be "cool" to be mysterious during the duel." He shook his head slightly. "Actually, it's rather bothersome to have on."

Yami laughed at this. This was possibly his longest conversation he had ever had with his long-time rival. He didn't think that their bantering during duels counted.

"So do you come here often?" His face was still turned towards the dragon.

The top-ranked duelist's smile, which had been there since Seth had started talking, finally faded. "Every week…" was his quiet reply, almost to himself.

Something in his voice made Seth finally turn towards his rival, who was now looking at the dragon with a somewhat lonely look in his eyes. Something was definitely going on that he wasn't aware of. As the other man continued to stare up at the dragon, Seth took a good look at his rival. He had never really bothered to before. His rival still had his trademark wild, spiky hairstyle- that hadn't changed at all over the years. He knew that he still favored wearing his leather outfit with all the odd assortment of buckles- though right now, it was covered up by his thick leather jacket. His crimson eyes had always intrigued them- he had stared into them many times during their duels. However, now, they weren't the fierce competitiveness that he was so used to, but instead were filled with a sort of longing as he gazed up at the dragon. Everything about his rival suddenly seemed so…familiar to him. Like he _knew_ him. But of course, the only way that he knew him was from their previous duels. Yes, that must be it.

There was one thing, however, that seemed rather out of place to Seth. It was the diamond ring that was on his left hand. It just didn't seem…right there, for some reason. He shook his head abruptly. Now _that _was a ridiculous thought. Why should he even care? He was starting to think way too much into this.

Seth's movement brought Yami back out of his daze. He glanced at the other, and noticed that he was staring at his left hand. He began unconsciously twirling the ring around his finger once again. "Joey Wheeler proposed to me two days ago."

An eyebrow rose. "That blond duelist?" He would have thought that Yami would have found someone more… worthy. Not some second-rate duelist. From what he had observed from dueling them both, their personalities just didn't seem to… fit together. Like Wheeler wouldn't be able to hold Yami's interest for long. Like he would never truly understand him…

"Yes. We've been best friends since we were kids. I guess it was only… natural that we would get together."

Something in his voice led Seth to believe that Yami wasn't so convinced by his own words. "Congratulations," he muttered faintly.

"Thanks," came the equally quiet reply.

The two duelists stayed in silence for several moments, till Seth cleared his throat gently. "Well, I should probably head back to the tournament, and make sure there aren't any problems." He started walking back down the path.

"Dragon?" Yami called out from behind him. It was always what he had called him during their duels, since he never knew his name.

He glanced back at the other. "Yes?"

"How did you find this place?"

The tall CEO paused briefly. Truthfully, he wasn't quite sure. There were many fountains throughout the park, but this particular one was rather hidden, one having to take several turns in order to get there. It was almost as if something had been _calling_ him towards the fountain, leading him through the right twists and turns. But of course, that was absolutely ridiculous. He finally shrugged his shoulders. "I just…knew where to find it."

"Oh…" A small, barely noticeable smile crept across his lips as memories of a cold winter night in the mountains flashed across his mind. Seth's response was much like the response that Seto had had when Yami had asked him how he had found him.

"Well…see you around then. And you can call me Seth by the way." Seth continued his walk down the path, but not before giving the dragon one final curious glance.

The smile widened. "Good bye, Seth."

The next night, after a particularly easy day of duels, but a long day of watching over the tournament with his brother, Seth Kaiba sat alone at a nearby coffee shop. His spiky-haired rival was there as well, sitting several tables over with his back towards him. But he didn't feel like talking- he needed to think, and figured that the caffeine might help to clear his head a bit. Since his talk with the World Champion yesterday at the dragon fountain, he could not seem to get the other off his mind. It was strange too, because even though they had had numerous duels in the past, as soon the duel was over he would be pushed far away from him mind, not to return till their next duel. Not once has Seth thought of Yami when they weren't dueling. Now, after one short talk, he couldn't stop thinking about him. It was starting to annoy him, and he hated being annoyed.

Seth's thoughts were suddenly distracted as his sharp sense of hearing picked up on a nearby conversation between three men in their thirties or so.

"Is he almost finished yet? It's been nearly 15 minutes already!"

"Just be patient. He's almost done with his "congratulatory" drink. Man, who knew it'd be this easy to trick the great World Champion?"

The third man laughed. "Yeah, he doesn't even suspect that we've spiked the coffee with Rope to knock him out cold."

The first man nodded. "When the drugs start taking affect, he'll start to feel dizzy and will probably leave. We'll jump him then."

The others smiled and nodded. "I don't think he'll be dueling tomorrow…"

By now, the conversation had Seth's full attention. He knew that Rope was short for Rohypnol- a tranquilizer-type drug. He had read about it back in the States, where it is illegal, and knew about its dangerous effects. He had no idea if the drug was illegal here in Japan or not. Not that it mattered anyhow. He quickly glanced around the small coffee shop, and realized with a start that Yami was already halfway out the door, a bit unsteady on his feet. He saw the three men exchange sly grins as they got up from their chairs and followed the young man out. He hesitated briefly, wondering what he should do, before hastily throwing down some money to pay for his drink, then rushing out of the building himself. He stood a few feet from the door, looking around and listening for sounds of a struggle. The CEO feared that he was too late, that those men had already grabbed Yami and taken him somewhere.

Growing frustrated at his own hesitation, something in his mind suddenly told him to _go left. _He did as he was told, letting his instinct guide him. Approaching the nearest alley he suddenly heard sounds of a struggle. This time, he didn't waste a second as he rushed into the alley. What he saw really ticked him off: Yami was being pinned to the wall by two men, the third hovering over him. The man was reaching towards Yami's belt with one hand. With an angry growl, Seth strolled over, pulled the man away from Yami and slammed his fist into his jaw, knocking him out completely. The two men holding Yami let go of him in surprise, and he slumped to the ground, giving a small moan. The two men took one look at Seth's steely death glare, and wisely bolted out of the alley.

The tall brunet quickly walked to Yami's side, kneeling down beside him. He gently lifted Yami's chin with his hand. The duelist's eyes were half-closed, and he was groaning softly. "Yami? Are you alright? Say something!"

"Head…spinning…" was all he managed to slur out before closing his eyes fully and falling against Seth's chest with another groan.

Seth frowned. The drug must be taking its full effect. Well, since he had no idea where the duelist lived, there was really only one choice. Holding Yami against his chest with one arm, he fished his cell phone out from his jacket pocket with his other hand and dialed for his limo. Replacing his phone, he scooped up the sleeping duelist into his arms and carried him out towards the street. The limo arrived shortly, the driver giving Yami a surprised look but not saying anything. Seth instructed his driver to take him home, then climbed into the limo, holding Yami in his lap.

As the limo sped home, the CEO sighed tiredly. The Kaiba's had bought a large mansion well outside the town's limits, away from prying eyes and nosy reporters. He knew that his adopted father was from Domino City, and that he had a mansion somewhere in the city still under his name. However, at Mokuba's insistence, he had decided to not return there, opting instead to purchase a mansion of his own. He had the feeling that something bad must have happened when the Kaiba's were last in Domino. Mokuba rarely brought up memories of the past, and Seth respected that. Growing up an orphan, he too knew how painful the past could be, and knew the feeling of just wanting to forget that. So, he never once tried to pry into his adopted family's past. But that didn't mean he didn't have questions…

At last, the limo pulled through the large iron gates of the new Kaiba Manor, and strolled up to the front door. Seth glanced down at the still-sleeping duelist in his arms, wondering what the hell had caused him to suddenly become so…_caring_ towards someone other than his little brother. Something deep down was telling him that he _knew_ this man, and not just from their previous duels either. But how, he had no clue. It seemed to him that Domino City was just full of mysteries to be solved. It was a challenge he was looking forward to.

END OF CHAPTER

Gah, this chapter took so long to write! I think it's because I'm making it WAY too complicated for me. Originally, I hadn't planned on having Seth as the Dragon Master, but since I threw that in it ended up changing things quite a bit. Sorry if this is all rather confusing- hopefully it'll get cleared up in later chapters.

So some of you may be wondering why Yami was at the coffee shop alone. Where were his friends and fiancé? Let's just say that he was kinda feeling the same things that Seth was, and needed a caffeine boost to clear his mind.

And yes, Rohypnol/Rope is an actual drug, and it is illegal here in the US. Have no clue about Japan though. I guess I'm a bit lazy when it comes to research…

Next chapter- Yami wakes up, has a chat with Seth, and then the tournament continues. Joey ends up making a terrible mistake, one that he'll definitely be regretting for a while.

Not sure when I'll update. I start student teaching on Jan. 3, so I'll be quite busy. Maybe I can update before the 3rd, but no guarantees.

Thanks for reading, and please review! ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 7 of ?

A/N: Finally, I'm able to update! I'm on a small little break right now, so thought I'd better update at least. Thanks for being so patient with me!

Enjoy!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 7

Yami slowly blinked open his eyes. With a small groan he struggled to sit up, holding a hand against his pounding head. His gaze still rather unfocused, he glanced around his surroundings, surprised to find that he was sitting on a soft bed, the thick comforter now pooled around his waist. There was a small desk with its lamp turned on across the room. Yami shook his head a bit as he tried to bring into focus the person sitting at the desk, his back towards him. There was something rather familiar about his brown hair…

"Seto…" he whispered, almost to himself, "is that really you?"

The person at the desk turned his head towards him. "It's Seth, actually. I guess that damn drug must be affecting your memory too." He rose from his seat and walked over to the bed, sitting down on it about a foot away from Yami.

"Drug…? What drug?"

Seth frowned. "Those jerks who gave you that "congratulatory drink" at the coffee shop had put Rohypnol in it. It's a sedative basically. They had attacked you as soon as you left the shop. You don't remember any of that?"

Yami shook his head tiredly, then took another glance around room. "Where am I? How did I get here?"

"You're in one of the guest rooms at Kaiba Manor. I had overheard those men talking, and…intervened before they could really do anything." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Since I don't know where you live, I took you back here. You've been asleep for several hours now."

"Oh." Seth had saved him? That reminded him of a cold November night long ago, when Seto had come to his rescue as well. "Thank you for saving me then."

"Don't mention it."

Crimson eyes widened slightly in surprise. Those were the _exact _words that Seto had said that night. He gazed at the tall brunet with curious eyes, his headache making it difficult for him to process things completely. "Seth, where did you go to school?"

Seth raised an eyebrow. "In the United States."

"Have you ever gone to school in Japan?"

"No, this is my first time here. Though Mokuba spent about half his life here." He gazed back at Yami with curious eyes.

Yami shook his head, trying to make sense of his thoughts. "I'm sorry for prying. It's just that…" He hesitated, unsure if he should go on.

"Go on," Seth prodded gently, curious as to what the other had to say.

"It's just that…you remind me so much of someone I once knew. But he went to school here in Domino."

Before either of them could say anything else, the door suddenly burst open and in walked Mokuba Kaiba, carefully carrying a steaming cup in his hands. "Hey there Yami! Seth told me what happened, and I thought that some tea might help with your headache."

The two duelists stared at the dark-haired man. The elder Kaiba frowned. "Mokuba, how did you know Yami was awake?" He knew that he should be making some sort of "formal" introduction between the two, but…whatever.

"Umm….I heard voices and knew that it must be you two talking. So I ran downstairs and got the tea." He held out the cup with a wide smile on his face.

Yami accepted the cup with a small smile. "Thank you, Mokuba," he said quietly.

"No problem. I'm just glad that you're okay."

The elder Kaiba still had a frown on his face. His little brother was definitely up to something. He knew these walls were quite thick. And they hadn't been talking too loud either. His brother couldn't possibly have heard them unless he was purposely listening in. What could he possibly be scheming this time?

There was an uncomfortable silence as Yami carefully sipped his tea, till Mokuba spoke. "Well, it's getting late, and you two should definitely get some rest for your duels tomorrow. Yami, I'll call the driver and he can take you home." He started to head back out the room, but was stopped by his brother's voice.

"Don't bother, Mokuba. He can just stay here in the guest room. I've already let the driver off for the night anyways."

The spiky-haired duelist shook his head. "I don't want to trouble you. I could just call my brother and he'll come and pick me up." He started to move towards the edge of the bed, but was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.

"Kaiba Manor is rather far from the city itself. It'd take your brother a while to get here. Mokuba was right- you do need your rest. So why don't you call your brother to let him know you are alright, then you can rest up here."

Yami opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when he saw the look in Seth's eyes. "A-alright then. Thank you," he murmured.

Seth smiled as he rose from the bed, slowly letting his hand drop from Yami's arm. "You can use the phone next to the bed."

"Oh, I'll just use my cell, thanks."

The two smiled at each other once more. "Well, if you need anything, my room is right down the hall."

"Thanks again. For everything, I mean." He paused. "Good night, Seth, Mokuba."

"Night," both brothers echoed before turning and finally leaving the room. At the door, the elder Kaiba paused and gave the other duelist one final smile before shutting the door gently.

The World Champion smiled to himself as he placed his empty mug on the night stand. He was still wearing his jacket, and he quickly shrugged it off. He took out his cell phone before tossing the jacket to the foot of the bed. After speaking quickly with a rather concerned Yugi, he placed his phone next to the mug, then settled back down onto the comfortable bed. Yami fell fast asleep, and dreamed of a certain blue-eyed duelist…

The next morning, Seth had his driver drop Yami off at the Kame game store, but not before exchanging cell phone numbers. The CEO had offered to give Yami a ride to the dueling arena as well, but Yami had politely refused, saying that he usually walked there with his brother and fiancé. Seth had felt his heart clench slightly at the mention of that second-rate duelist, but didn't show it. Instead, he wished him luck in his duels (though he knew that he didn't really need it), then left to go check to make sure everything was ready for the day's duels.

Upon entering the small game shop, Yami was greeted with a huge hug from Yugi. The elder Mutou finally had to pry his brother off of him after a few minutes. Yugi glanced once out the window before looking back at his brother. "Uh…you better hurry up and get ready. Joey is already on his way over. He had called earlier this morning."

"Oh…Did you tell him about last night?" He knew that his fiancé would not be happy with him spending the night at Kaiba's.

Yugi nodded his head. "Yeah. He had wanted to speak to you, and so I had to tell him where you were."

Yami sighed. "Well, I better get going then. Thanks, Yugi." He turned and headed upstairs for a quick shower and change of clothes.

Half an hour later, the World Champion was faced with a rather cross fiancé. "I can't believe you actually spent the night at _his _house! You _know_ how I feel about the Kaiba's!"

Yami hated it when Joey started raising his voice, started to lose his temper. It reminded him of that day in the mountains. "I'm sorry, Joey, but it was already late. Besides, the Kaiba's are nice people."

"Nice people don't make weapons that kill people, Yami."

He frowned. "In case you haven't noticed, Kaiba Corp makes games now." He held up his Duel Disk for emphasis, then shook his head. "I never quite understood why you hate the Kaiba family so much."

"Because," Joey said tersely, gritting his teeth, "they are a bunch of snobs who think the world should be handed to them on a silver platter!"

"You don't know them. They are not like that at all."

"Oh, so you think that just because you spend one lousy night in their house, that they are nice to you for one time, you know them?"

"Seto was always nice to me. And he's a Kaiba."

Joey growled in frustration. "I have had just about enough of you going on and on about Seto Kaiba! News flash Yami, he's DEAD. And he's not coming back, no matter how many times you go to that damn fountain!"

Crimson eyes widened at this. He had thought that his fiancé had understood why he liked going to the fountain. Perhaps he was mistaken. He sighed and shook his head. "I…we should get going, or we'll be late," he said in a quiet voice. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and quickly exited the game shop, heading towards Yugi who wisely had decided to wait outside for them. After nodding briefly towards his brother, Yami continued walking towards the arena. Perhaps he should have taken Seth up on his offer to give him a ride.

Later that afternoon, the World Champion closed his eyes tiredly as his Dark Magician destroyed his opponent's monster, drained his life points, and ended the match. Opening his eyes, he walked over as his magician faded and shook hands with his opponent. Finally done for the day, he quickly exited the arena and headed for the park. He had managed to avoid Joey the entire day, his words still hurting from that morning. As he walked, he began to unconsciously fiddle with the ring on his finger. Perhaps accepting his proposal of marriage was a mistake…

"Yami!"

The deep voice snapped Yami out of his thoughts, and he turned around to see Seth Kaiba striding up towards him. A small smile graced his lips. He had found himself missing the brunet during the day. "Hello, Seth. How was your day?" They continued to walk together.

"Hectic. Some kid had completely lost it after his duel, claiming that the monsters were real and that they would now kill him for losing the duel." He smirked. "Always one or two psychos in every tournament. So how was your day?"

"Oh…it was fine. The competition is getting tougher." He kept his gaze downcast.

Something told Seth that not everything was alright, that something bad had happened. As they walked along the quiet pathway, Seth watched his rival with careful eyes. He definitely seemed upset over something. Usually, he didn't concern himself with the feelings of others, except for Mokuba. It was rather strange that he would be concerned about his rival, of all people. Again, the feeling that he was something more than just his rival came up, and he had to quell the sudden impulse to take the man into his arms and comfort him. "Really now? I've found my duels to be rather boring. No challenge at all. Speaking of which, tomorrow I'll be facing your fiancé."

Usually, Yami would immediately come to the defense of Wheeler's dueling skills (the little that he had). But today, Seth noticed that he did not, that he simply glanced up from the ground and looked at him with an uneasy expression. Ah, so something must have happened between the two of them. An argument, perhaps. He smiled gently at the other. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I-it's nothing really. Just an argument that we had had this morning."

"Hm. Well, if there is anything that I can do to help, just let me know."

A small smile was his reward. "Thank you."

They continued their walk together, simply enjoying each other's presence.

All throughout the night, Joey had tried to get a hold of his fiancé. He had tried his cell phone he didn't know how many times. Yami never picked up once. He had tried the house phone as well. But it was always Yugi who had answered, informing him that Yami still didn't want to talk. Desperately wanting to apologize and set things straight with him, he had even gone over to the game shop in person. Of course, Yugi had let him inside, but to his dismay, Yami had already locked himself up inside his room. His frustration skyrocketed as he continuously banged on the door, demanding that Yami open it and talk. After nearly ten minutes of banging, he gave up with a frustrated growl, and left in a hurry, grumbling to himself how, even in death, Seto Kaiba still managed to screw up his life.

Now, the following day, Joey found himself facing a different Kaiba, the one he knew (and despised) as the Dragon Master. He was quite determined to beat him, especially with Yami there watching along with their friends. However, to increase his frustration, throughout the duel he noticed that Yami wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to him or his fantastic playing. Instead, those crimson eyes were always focused on that of the tall brunet, and a small smile would appear whenever Kaiba made a particularly lucky move. It only made Joey even angrier.

"And now, I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon Blue Eyes White Dragon! He's been waiting to make his debut appearance today."

There was a collective gasp from the audience as the mighty dragon rose to stand fiercely in front of his master. Brown eyes widened impossibly large as the dragon roared. No way…there was only one duelist in the world that had that card. And he was long-dead…

Yami's mouth dropped open at the sight of the magnificent dragon. Seto had had that exact card in his deck. Now that he thought of it, Seth's strategies were a lot like Seto's. Could he be using Seto's old deck? Mokuba must have given it to him.

Joey was so stunned at seeing the dragon, that he lost his concentration completely. The duel ended shortly after the dragon's summoning, and Kaiba was declared the victor. As his friends gathered around him to congratulate him on playing hard, he watched as his fiancé walked up instead to Kaiba. He smiled and nodded as they exchanged a few words, then waved as the Dragon Master walked off, a young raven-haired man following after him. He narrowed his eyes, determined to talk to Yami.

A few hours later, Joey at last got his chance. He spotted Yami walking along the sidewalk, just coming out of the park. He drove up beside him and rolled down the window. Yami looked at him, surprised. "Get in the car, Yami. We really need to talk." He didn't mean to sound as harsh as he did, but he was still ticked off from his duel.

Yami could smell the alcohol on his fiancé's breath. Joey always liked to drink when he was angry. Glancing at the backseat, he spotted several empty cans. He frowned. He supposed they had to talk sooner or later. With a small nod, he opened the door and climbed in. Joey started to drive off as soon as he slammed the door shut.

They were silent as Joey continued driving. Yami stared out the window, not really paying attention to where they were going. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his fiancé take another drink from a can, then toss the empty can into the backseat with the others. He wondered how much he already had had.

Growing tired of the silence, Yami finally spoke. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I think it's time that we take our relationship to the next level. I mean, we are already engaged, so it's only logical."

Yami raised an eyebrow. Here they were, just having an argument the previous day, and he wanted them to go to the "next level", whatever that was. "Shouldn't we be talking about yesterday morning?"

Joey ignored the question. "I even got us this nice, fancy hotel room. It'll be a night to remember. It was supposed to your gift to me for finally beating Kaiba. But whatever. It doesn't matter any more."

Crimson eyes widened at his words. Joey wanted them to _sleep_ together? Before he could reply, his cell phone suddenly starting ringing. Frowning, he pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hello? Oh, hi Seth." The frown immediately disappeared into a small smile.

At the mention of that name, Joey suddenly reached out and snatched the phone from Yami, ignoring his shocked expression. He placed the phone to his ear, continuing to steer with his other hand. He caught the end of Kaiba's sentence. "-check to make sure you got home safely."

"Look jerk," he growled into the phone. "Yami is MY fiancé, so I suggest that you just stay the hell away from him!"

There was a pause on the other line. "Wheeler. I have no intentions on wasting my time with you. Put Yami back on the line."

Growling in frustration, he snapped the phone shut and pulled over to the side of the road with a rather violent swerve. Once parked, he hurled the phone out the open window as hard as he could.

Yami could not believe what his fiancé was doing. "Joey! What's gotten into you?" With a shake of his head, he unsnapped his seat belt and opened the door, intent on retrieving his phone.

However, Joey unsnapped his seat belt as well, and quickly reached over Yami to pull the door shut once more. He grabbed Yami by the back of his head and forcefully pulled him into a sloppy kiss. Yami struggled to break the kiss as Joey's other hand made its way to Yami's belt. It's time he showed Yami just who he belonged to.

As he felt Joey's hand fumbling with his belt, Yami suddenly realized what he was planning on doing, and his own anger suddenly soared. He was tired of putting up with his fiancé's inexcusable actions of late, this by far the worst. Using all of his strength, he gave a violent shove at Joey's chest, managing to catch the other off guard. The blond duelist fell back into his own seat with a surprised grunt, staring at Yami with stunned, angry eyes. Yami quickly opened his door and climbed out. He began running, stopping only to retrieve his phone, which had been lying several feet from the car.

Back in the car, Joey suddenly realized what he had just tried to do. He quickly jumped out of the car, and desperately looked around for his fiancé. He just barely caught a glimpse of the spiky hair as he turned a corner. He immediately took off after him, calling his name and shouting his apologies. However, in his drunken state, he only succeeded in tripping over his feet and landing face down on the ground.

The World Champion ran through the streets. He wished he had paid closer attention to where Joey had been driving. None of his surroundings looked even remotely familiar to him. After a long time of running, he finally collapsed exhaustedly onto a bench, still quite lost. He didn't know what to do, too embarrassed and angry over what had happened to call anyone for help.

Suddenly his phone, which was still clutched his hand, started to ring. He tiredly glanced at it, expecting to see that Joey was calling. However, to his surprise, it was actually Seth. Hesitantly, he answered it. "Hello?"

"Yami, are you alright? I had thought that you would call back after your fiancé had so rudely hung up on me."

As he listened to Seth's deep, rich voice, Yami started to break down. "S-Seth. I-I'm not alright. Joey…he tried to…tried to…" he shook his head, unable to even say it.

"Where are you? I'll come get you immediately." His voice was full of concern.

"I…don't know. I wasn't paying attention to where he was going."

"Don't worry. I'll find you. Stay right where you are, and I'll be there soon."

"Alright." He closed his phone and stuck it back into his pocket. His wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling cold. The temperature was starting to drop.

After what seemed like forever, at last Yami saw the familiar white limo driving down the empty street. He stood up and stared as the door was thrown open, and out rushed the tall CEO. He smiled as Seth rushed up towards him, his face full of worry.

"How did you find me so fast?"

"Well, first I tried using my satellites to find the location of your cell phone." He frowned as he glanced around. "But there must be something around here interfering with the signal." Still frowning slightly, he looked back at Yami. "I'm…not really sure how I found you. I just…knew where to find you, somehow." He gazed at Yami with a curious expression on his face. It was just like how he had found the dragon fountain- he felt as if something was guiding him to where Yami was, telling him where he would find him.

Yami smiled. "I'm glad that you found me. Tonight has been…rather rough."

The frown returned to Seth's face. If that jerk Joey Wheeler hurt him… "Are you alright?"

The other sighed tiredly. "I honestly don't know any more. I thought that everything was going fine, and that I'd be happy with Joey. But now…I'm just not so sure. I'm so confused by everything that's happened. I don't know what to think or feel any more." He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he found himself pressed up against Seth's body as the other wrapped his arms around him in a fierce hug, and he opened his eyes in surprise. Seth's rich voice whispered in his ear. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

For some reason, Yami found himself believing his words, and he brought up his own arms to return the embrace.

END OF CHAPTER

Whoa…long chapter this turned out to be. Things are definitely starting to heat up between Yami and Seth.

Next chapter- Yami tries to break it off with Joey, but the stubborn blond is in denial. Joey throws a party for Yami and makes a big announcement, but that only sends Yami running away once more. I wonder who he'll end up running to? ;)

Thanks for reading and please review! ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 8 of ?

A/N: At last, an update! Thank you so much for being patient with me. I've been so busy with student teaching this semester, that I haven't had time to write. And not writing so long kinda caused me to get some writer's block once I had some time to write! It took me a while to remember where exactly I was going with this story…

Happy reading!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 8

Yami sighed tiredly as the limo pulled up in front of the Kame game store, the lights inside still on, meaning that his younger brother was up waiting for him. He knew that Yugi and Joey were very close friends, and not wanting to damage that friendship, he had decided to not tell him anything about what had happened tonight. He couldn't quite bring himself to say the words anyway. This left an uneasy feeling in his stomach- he and his brother had always told each other _everything_. He wasn't used to keeping secrets from him. "What am I going to do…?" he murmured quietly to himself.

"You should leave him."

He turned towards the other occupant in the limo, surprised that he had heard him, as well rather confused by his words. He frowned slightly. "Leave him?" Why would Seth want him to leave his brother?

"Yes. You shouldn't be with someone who doesn't respect you."

Ah, now Yami understood what Seth had meant. Of course he was referring to his fiancé. He shook his head slightly. "That's not what I was thinking about. I was thinking about Yugi. I don't want to damage his friendship with Joey."

Seth nodded in understanding. He knew that like he and Mokuba, the Mutou brothers were very close, and probably didn't keep secrets. Suddenly, the CEO thought of something. Yesterday, Yami had mentioned that he, his brother, and Wheeler usually walked to the dueling arena together. Suppose the blond came to the game shop the next morning, and tried something once more? Furthermore, he could be inside the game shop, already waiting for Yami to come home. The younger Mutou wouldn't suspect a thing, and would have let him in without a second thought. A strong sense to protect Yami suddenly swept over Seth. He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink tonight not knowing if Yami was safe or not.

"Yami, why don't you spend the night at my place? You can deal with all of this tomorrow, after you've rested." He tried to keep the worry out of his voice.

The duelist champion smiled. He knew what the other was thinking, and couldn't help but smile at the other's concern, and the fact that he was trying to hide it. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I doubt Joey will want to try anything in front of Yugi." Truthfully though, he wasn't really sure, and found himself wanting to be back in the safety of the brunet's strong arms.

Seth could sense that he wasn't quite so convinced. He reached out with one hand and gently let the tips of his fingers brush over Yami's cheek, staring into those crimson eyes as he did so. "Stay with me," he whispered in a low voice.

Unconsciously, the duelist champion leaned into his touch, and found himself nodding his head slightly in agreement. "I…I should go inside at least to tell Yugi, and to get some things."

The CEO nodded. "Alright. I'll wait in the limo then." Slowly, he let his hand drop.

Yami took a deep breath, and giving Seth a small smile of thanks, he at last opened the door and stepped out into the cold air. He quickly made his way up the walkway to the game shop's door, and let himself in quietly. He found Yugi waiting for him, as expected.

"Where have you been all this time?"

He couldn't bring himself to lie to his brother. "Joey found me walking out of the park. We talked and…had another fight."

Concern filled Yugi's eyes, and he sighed. "Let me guess. About Kaiba again?" It was very obvious that the blond hated the entire family.

Yami nodded, really wishing that this conversation would end. He looked toward the door, toward where Seth was waiting for him.

Another sigh came from the shorter man. "Maybe you should…you know, stay away from Kaiba then."

Crimson eyes turned back to Yugi, surprise filling them. "What do you mean?"

Yugi shrugged. "It's just that, there weren't any problems with Joey until Kaiba showed up. I think that if you just stayed away from him, then Joey would calm down and you two would be alright again."

_And what if I no longer want to be with him?_ Yami idly thought to himself. He shook his head a bit. "I'm not sure if Joey and I are right for each other," he said quietly. "Maybe I was wrong to accept his proposal of marriage."

Purple eyes widened. "You can't be thinking of breaking it off with him! It would crush him!"

Yami shook his head once more. "I don't know what to think any more. Look, I have to get going. I'm spending the night at Seth's house, and he's waiting for me outside." With that, he quickly headed upstairs to his room. Throwing some clothes and things into a bag, he went back down the stairs moments later. His brother was still standing where he had left him, a stunned expression still on his face. "I'll be catching a ride with Seth tomorrow morning, so I'll see you at the arena. 'Night, Yugi." He rushed out the door and into the cold air, heading towards the awaiting limo.

Inside the warm limo, Yami had started to nod off, and without realizing it, had ended up resting his head on Seth's shoulder. By the time the limo had pulled through the large iron gates to Kaiba Manor, he had already fallen asleep, obviously exhausted from the night's events. With a small smile, Seth scooped him up into his arms and carried the duelist into the house, up the stairs, and into the same bedroom that he had stayed in two nights ago. The driver had handed Yami's bag to Mokuba, who had then followed him to the room. As the younger Kaiba placed the bag on a chair, he watched curiously as his brother gently placed the duelist onto the bed, then proceeded to draw the covers over him. Seth let the tips of his fingers gently trail along Yami's cheek, before finally straightening and turning towards Mokuba. With a small smile of thanks for bringing up the bag, he nodded his head towards the door. Both Kaiba's quietly left the room, the elder turning off the lights and gently shutting the door behind them.

In the hallway, Seth bade him goodnight and headed down the hall to his own room. Mokuba glanced curiously at the closed door before going to his room as well. He could tell that his brother and Yami were starting to become close. Otherwise, Seth wouldn't have rushed off immediately to his rescue, the second time in three days. Though of course he wanted to his brother to be happy, he wasn't quite so sure that this was the best choice. After all, look at what had happened the _last_ time Yami had come into the life of his brother…He certainly did not want a repetition of the past. He couldn't wait for the tournament to be over so that they could return to the States, and leave the past behind once and for all.

The next day, as he and Yami prepared to face off for the championship duel, Seth was relieved that their duel was the only one for the day. When he had first started planning the tournament, and deciding on whom to invite, he had no doubts that it would be he and Yami in the championship duel. For every tournament that they had both entered, it had always come down to the two of them in the finals. Each new tournament only heightened their growing rivalry, as well as the rivalry's expanding fan base. However, for this tournament, though of course he wanted to win the match, a part of his mind could not help but be rather concerned at seeing Wheeler standing there with Yami's brother and their friends. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that while the blond continuously tried to catch Yami's attention, the crimson-eyed duelist didn't even look that way. Instead, those crimson eyes were focused on _him_. And Seth intended to keep it that way.

Not surprisingly, their duel was intense as always, and quite long. In the end, Yami won. He walked over to shake Seth's hand, and smiled slightly at the smirk that the other was giving him. The tall duelist held onto his hand just a bit longer than what was normally expected, his gaze never leaving his own.

"You were holding back," he murmured quietly, not wanting the approaching media to hear their conversation.

"As were you," Yami said equally quietly. They both smiled at one another, both knowing the reason for their preoccupations.

"Do you think anyone noticed?"

"I doubt it."

Their conversation was cut short as Yami's brother and friends came rushing up towards them, the media right behind them. They instantly dropped their hands, the smiles fading. As the champion was congratulated and hugged by his brother and friends, Seth was confronted by reporters, who kept asking him his reaction and feelings on his most recent lost to his rival, and blah blah blah. Thankfully, Mokuba came to his rescue, stating that both he and Yami needed to come quickly for the trophy presentation and ending ceremony. During all the commotion, Seth barely had the time to ask Yami to wait for him after he had finished taking care of all the small loose ends of running a tournament. Yami had instantly agreed, saying that he'd be waiting outside the arena. And it was there that Joey had found him alone.

The duelist champion heard footsteps approaching him from behind, and turned expecting to see Seth, a smile ready on his face. However, when he saw that it was not the tall CEO, but rather his fiancé coming towards him, his smile instantly faded, his body becoming tense. He crossed his arms over his chest as his fiancé stopped in front of him. For a long moment they simply stared at one another. It was Joey who finally broke the silence.

"Look Yami. I am so sorry for what I did last night. My actions were completely inexcusable. I was drunk and upset, and I shouldn't have tried to force myself onto you." He noticed that Yami had uncrossed his arms, his stance relaxing ever so slightly. Joey had been planning this little speech all night long last night, and it looked like it was working so far. "To make it up to you, I've put together a little congratulatory party tonight for us and our friends. Please, accept my apologies and say that you'll forgive me." He said this in his most sincere voice possible. As he looked pleadingly into Yami's eyes, he reached out to grasp his hand in his own. However, to his surprise, Yami pulled away and took a step back. There was an uneasy look in his eyes.

"Joey…I don't think this is working out between us." He said this slowly, quietly. He couldn't believe that his fiancé would think that by giving him a party and an apology would make things all better between them. He could sense that Joey just wanted to forget last night's incident had ever happened. But he would never forget it. "I had thought that I knew you, but I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry Joey, but I can't marry you." He slid the engagement ring off his finger, and held it out towards the other, his eyes pleading that he would understand.

Joey stared dumbfounded at the diamond ring, his desire to get Yami back rapidly turning into anger. "It's Kaiba, isn't it?" he asked in a terse voice. He clenched his hands into tight fists. "Why is it always a damn _Kaiba _screwing things up between us? Just what is your fascination with that family? Am I just not good enough compared to him? You had accepted my proposal, then all of a sudden when this jerk comes, you don't want to marry me any more. Tell me Yami, why won't you marry me now?" He was breathing hard, nearly out of breath now.

Yami narrowed his eyes. "Seth has nothing to do with this. You made your own choice last night, and that choice has cost you my trust. _That's _why I can't marry you." He still held out the ring towards Joey.

But Joey merely shook his head. "It is not over between us, Yami. I refuse it to be. I'll see you tonight at the party." He promptly stomped off.

The duelist champion stood there, stunned by his words. Who did Joey Wheeler think he was, acting as if his opinions didn't even matter? Didn't he even care about his feelings? Or was he too involved with himself? Seth had been right- he shouldn't be with someone who simply did not respect him. He put the ring into his pocket. He felt oddly…better now that it was no longer on his finger.

Speaking of the CEO, Yami noticed him walking out of the arena, a smile on his face. However, a voice behind him caused him to turn the other way. His brother was running towards him, obviously not happy about something. "Yugi?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Yami! What happened? I just saw Joey, and he seemed really upset over something. He said something about Kaiba trying to take you away from him?"

Crimson eyes widened in disbelief. "He said what!"

"He said that you two had had another argument, and that it was about Kaiba again." Yugi shook his head slightly, his blond bangs flying about his face. "I told you last night, Yami, that you should stay away from him, before he permanently damages your relationship with Joey. You're lucky that Joey is really patient with you. Otherwise, you might have already lost him."

Before Yami had a chance to respond, Seth came up to the two brothers. Yugi immediately turned glaring eyes towards him. "Look, Kaiba. I don't know why you are doing this, but I want you to stop. Joey and Yami have a good thing going, and I'm not about to just stand around and watch you ruin it. I'm warning you- stay away from Yami."

Seth narrowed his eyes at the shorter man. "Why don't you let _Yami_ decide on who he wants to be with?"

Yugi growled slightly, but did not have a quick answer. Instead, he grabbed his brother's hand and started to lead him away. "Come on Yami. We have a party to go to, a party that your _fiancé _has graciously planned for you."

Yami, however, stood his ground. "I'm sorry Yugi, but I won't be going to the party. I've already told Joey that it's over between us. That's the reason why he is upset."

"Of course he's upset! He thinks that you've chosen Kaiba over him! Which is why you really need to go to this party and apologize to him. It's the least you could do, you know."

As the two brothers continued to argue, Seth's mind raced over what Yami had just said. He had actually broke it off with the blond duelist? His sharp eyes noticed that the diamond ring was no longer on his finger.

"Just go to the party and talk to him. I'm sure that you two can work things out."

Yami sighed. His brother could be so stubborn sometimes. He supposed though, that it would be best the clear the air, and to tell their friends why exactly he was breaking their engagement, instead of letting Joey do the talking. He gave Seth an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Seth, but I have to go."

Seth nodded. "I understand. Call me if you need anything."

He smiled. "Thank you. I will. Bye."

As the brothers walked off, Seth flipped open his cell phone and made a few calls. He did not trust Wheeler, and had a feeling that things would not go well at the party tonight. It should be quite easy for him to find out where this little party was being held…

Hours later, Yami, Joey, Yugi and several of their friends were gathered at a fancy restaurant, in a private room that Joey had gotten. Yami wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, intending on telling Joey that it was definitely over, and giving him back the ring. However, the blond had other plans, instead grabbing his hand and dragging him to the front of the room, ignoring his repeated protests.

"Not now Yami," he said in a rather impatient voice. "After I make our big announcement."

Yami raised an eyebrow. What announcement?

"Hey everyone quiet down, we have an announcement to make!" Their friends immediately quieted down, everyone turning their eyes towards them. "Yami and I have been talking recently, and we've decided that we can't wait to be married. So, we are going to have our wedding next month! And of course you are all invited!"

The crimson-eyed duelist's mouth dropped open. He stared wide-eyed as his friends started to clap and congratulate them. He shook his head slightly, shocked at what Joey had just said. Suddenly, he yanked his hand rather violently away from him, causing the room fall immediately into a shocked silence. He glared at the blond, nearly shaking from his disbelief, which was rapidly turning to anger. "I can't believe you," he said in a rather calm, but strained voice. "Have you always been this self-centered, and I've somehow been blinded to it? We have never come to the decision of getting married next month. You know that I don't want to marry you at all. Why can't you just accept that it's over between us?"

"Because it's not, Yami. I refuse to believe that it is. I'll _never_ believe that it is. And as soon as that damn Kaiba heads back to America, or wherever the hell he goes next, you'll come to realize that we are meant to be together."

Yami rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This has nothing to do with Seth, and you know that." He was really starting to get tired of this argument. He took the ring out from his pocket on tossed it onto the table next to him, causing a loud clatter in the stunned-silent room. "The engagement is off, Joey," he said in a tired voice. "It's over."

His brother gently picked up the ring. "Yami, don't say that," he said in a gentle voice. "I know that you've been feeling rather confused ever since Kaiba got here, probably because he looks so much like Seto Kaiba. But with the tournament over, he should be leaving soon, and then things will return back to the way they were." He held out the ring towards his brother. "Now put back on the ring and just enjoy the party."

He shook his head. "No, Yugi. You don't understand. Things will never be the way they were."

"Of course they will be!" Tea said, cheerful as always. The rest of their friends nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Tristan chimed in. "Yugi's right. Once that Kaiba leaves, everything will be fine."

Yami stared incredulously at his friends. Why was everyone thinking that Seth was the reason for his and Joey's break-up? What has Joey been telling them? It certainly hasn't been the truth. "This has nothing to do with S-" he started, but was cut off abruptly by Yugi.

"It has _everything_ to do with him. You guys have never argued before he arrived."

The champion duelist started to protest once more, but was once again cut off by his friends. His friends started saying all kinds of things about Seth, how he was a Kaiba, how he had always hated Joey, how he just wanted to cause trouble. And this just really ticked Yami off.

"ENOUGH!"

His sudden outburst was enough to shut everyone up immediately. He looked at them, breathing heavily. "You have NO idea what has been going on between me and Joey. No idea whatsoever. And how dare you try and blame everything on Seth. I had always thought that you were all so caring and thoughtful, but to see you all turn against one person for unjustified reasons…I just can't believe it. You want to know the real reason why I don't want to marry Joey? Then why don't you have him tell you about last night." By now, Yami was shaking with anger. Without waiting for their reaction, he turned and fled the restaurant as quickly as he could.

The room was silent, everyone wondering what had just happened. They all turned towards Joey expectantly. "What is he talking about?" Yugi asked in a quiet voice.

Joey had no choice but to tell what had happened last night. He did so with his eyes downcast, not wanting to see the shocked and disapproving faces of his friends. Yugi shook his head sadly. "Poor Yami," he whispered. "What have we done?"

Outside the restaurant, Yami paused to catch his breath. He buried his face in his hands. Everything was so wrong now. He was angry at his friends, angry at Joey for apparently spreading lies. And he was sorry for Seth- sorry for damaging his good name. He had no idea how he was going to be able to face him now.

"Yami? What's wrong?" a concerned, familiar voice asked.

Yami looked up in surprise, and found none other than Seth standing next to him, a concerned look on his handsome face. He blinked a few times. "How did you find me?" he asked in amazement.

Seth smiled. "I had a suspicion that things wouldn't go very well tonight. So I made some calls, and here I am." He raised a hand and gently brushed his fingertips against Yami's cheek, pleased when the other leaned into his touch.

Fatigue suddenly washed over the champion duelist, and he buried his face into the taller man's chest.

An eyebrow raised as he held the now-trembling duelist in his arms. Something really bad must have happened. "Come on," he said softly. "You need to rest. Let me take you away from all of this for a while."

He nodded into Seth's chest, allowing him to wrap his arm around his shoulders and lead him towards the waiting limo. They both got in, Yami immediately leaning against Seth and resting his head on his shoulder, the CEO's arm still tight around his shoulders.

As the limo started to drive off, Joey rushed out from the restaurant, hoping that Yami had just stopped outside. He saw the white limo with its familiar KC logo. "Yami! Wait!" He started to run after the limo, but was already too late. The limo drove off, leaving a rather frustrated blond duelist behind.

END OF CHAPTER

Whew, this took a while to finish. Why does it feel like to me that these characters are acting like they are in high school or something? I have to keep reminding myself that they are 25, 26 in this story. Gah, I hope it is just me.

Well, so looks like Joey is digging himself into a deeper hole. He's in denial, big time right now.

Next chapter- Yugi and the rest of Yami's friends all seem to take Joey's side, leaving Yami rather depressed. Good thing there is Seth there to cheer him up! Unfortunately, Joey is still up to no good, and does something rather drastic to get Yami back…

Thanks for reading and please review! ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 9 of ?

A/N: Not much to say this time. At least you all didn't have to wait two months for an update this time. ;) Anyways, enjoy!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 9

Before going to the Kaiba Manor, they had first stopped at the game shop for Yami to grab a few things. He seemed to be packing his bags quite often these days, and wondered if it could be some sort of sign or something. This time, however, he also packed his dark blue scarf. He really wanted to go to the dragon fountain- he just hoped that Seth wouldn't mind much.

As he lay in his bed in the guest room at Kaiba Manor later that night, Yami began to think about this. Strangely, Seth had never mentioned even once about Seto. He must know that he had had another adopted brother as well. Mokuba must have had told him. He remembered that Seto had always talked fondly about his little brother, so he knew that the Kaiba brothers had been very close. So it would make sense that Mokuba would want to share with Seth his memories about Seto. Unless…those memories were simply too painful for Mokuba to bear. The youngest Kaiba was probably reminded constantly of his deceased brother, as Seth had an uncanny resemblance to Seto, so that was probably enough of a reminder of the past for him, without having to talk about it as well.

Yami sighed as he closed his eyes tiredly. It had been a long week, not only because of the tournament, but also because of the situation with Joey. He was so glad to have had Seth there- he didn't think that he would have been able to get through the week if it had not been for the Dragon Master's help and support. He was really looking forward to spending tomorrow with him.

The next morning, Mokuba found his older brother sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper and sipping his coffee, as usual. Their guest was still asleep, which gave Mokuba the time he needed to talk to his brother. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he sat down at the table next to him. "Good morning, Seth!"

The brunet glanced up from his paper, smiling. "Morning, Mokuba."

Mokuba eyed the headline on the front page of the paper. KC TOURNAMENT A HUGE SUCCESS! Perfect. "So," Mokuba began, "looks like the tournament was really great for the company. It was a good idea to have it here in Japan."

Seth nodded. He definitely agreed that it was a good idea to have the tournament here in Japan. Though, probably not for the same reasons that his brother was thinking of.

"When we go back home to America," Mokuba continued, "I bet that we'll have lots of new offers."

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Actually, Mokuba, I was thinking that we should stay here in Japan for awhile."

He felt his smile fade. "Stay here? Why would we do that?"

"Well, with the old KaibaCorp Headquarters still being maintained here in Japan, it would be quite easy to set up a new headquarters here, temporarily at least. Japan is a fast-growing economy. We should take advantage of that while we are here."

The younger Kaiba frowned. "Are you _sure_ that's not the _only_ reason why you want to stay here?"

He smirked slightly. "You know me too well, Little Brother." He went back to reading his paper.

A little while later, Yami came down the stairs, dressed in dark jeans, a tight-fitting long-sleeved black shirt, and carrying a worn, dark blue scarf in one hand. Seth raised an eyebrow at the scarf. Obviously, it must mean something special to him for him to have kept it so long.

They held hands as they walked along the snowy trails in the park, heading towards the dragon fountain. As they neared the fountain, Yami found himself getting rather nervous. What would Seth think of him when he started talking to Seto? He had already decided last night that he would not mention that Seto was Mokuba's brother, but would rather wait for Seth to bring up that particular point. He did not want to cause any weird tensions between the two brothers. He wanted to respect Mokuba's decision to not tell Seth about Seto, assuming that was indeed the case.

When they reached the dragon, Yami looked up at the fierce, proud face, smiling slightly. He spoke quietly. "Hello, Seto. A lot has happened this week. I won the Duel Monsters tournament. The competition was quite intense." He shot Seth a small smile, then turned back towards the dragon. He took a deep breath. "I… I broke off my engagement with Joey as well. We just…aren't right for each other. I guess you're happy to hear that- you never did like him that much."

Seth stared curiously at Yami as he continued to talk in a low voice. Why did the name Seto sound so familiar to him? He had heard that name somewhere before…Then suddenly, it hit him: Yami had called him that name before! It was that night he had saved him from those men at the coffee shop, and he had muttered that name just as he was becoming conscious again. At the time, Seth didn't think it meant anything- after all, it was rather close to his own name, only off by a letter. But now, he knew that it did mean something after all. The question was, what exactly?

The Duelist Champion finished his conversation, then turned towards the tall man next to him, who, as he had expected, was eyeing him curiously. "You probably think I'm rather crazy, right?"

He shook his head. "No. You probably have a good reason for talking to an inanimate object. But I am rather curious about what that reason is."

They sat down together on one of the benches before Yami spoke. He began to tell how he had met Seto, how he had found him up at the mountains and given him the blue scarf as a gift, and how they had formed a very strong relationship.

Seth didn't particularly like hearing how he was really close with another guy, but he hid his feelings well. At least Yami wasn't going on and on about Wheeler- _that_ would have made him positively sick to his stomach. "Sounds like you had something really nice going," he muttered. "So what happened between the two of you?"

At this, crimson eyes became sad. "Seto…was in a terrible car accident. He…he didn't make it." Yami felt Seth wrap a comforting arm around his shoulders, and he smiled his thanks. He glanced around their surroundings, a sort of wistful smile on his face. "This was our favorite place. We had spent nearly every day here together. This is where I feel closest to him…"

The CEO frowned slightly. It sounded like Yami was still in love with this Seto guy, that he wasn't quite over him yet, even though it has been nearly ten years already. They must have had some kind of relationship, for it to have lasted well-past his death. He wondered if _he_ could ever form such a relationship with Yami, if he even had the _chance_ to form one. For someone who was deceased, this Seto would be a tough competitor it seemed. A lot more difficult than Wheeler would ever be. He needed to devise a new strategy…

That night, the two sat on a comfy blanket on the Kaiba's spacious lawn, gazing up at the stars. The day had been absolutely wonderful for Yami- so relaxing and peaceful, without any worries about Joey or anything else. As a matter of fact, not once had the blond even crossed his mind- all he could really think about was Seth and how he enjoyed his company so much. It reminded him greatly of all those times he had spent with Seto. He didn't realize till now how much he had missed those tranquil times.

The sky was perfect for star-gazing tonight- they were far away enough from the bright city lights for the stars to shine brightly themselves. Yami glanced at his companion, who was staring up at the stars in an oddly familiar way. That intense blue gaze, the way his head was tilted just so…it looked almost exactly like how he had once seen Seto looking up at the stars, in the mountains. _"I'm looking for the North Star," _he had said_, "to make sure that we are heading in the right direction."_

Without thinking, the Duelist Champion commented in a quiet voice, "See anything interesting up there?"

The CEO replied in an equally quiet voice, "I was just looking at the North Star."

"I- I've heard that it can guide people who are lost…"

He nodded. "Yes, in the literal sense anyways, using the star as a kind of compass. However, some believe that those who are figuratively lost can be guided by the North Star as well." He frowned. "What a bunch of nonsense, if you ask me."

Yami did not have a response, though he found himself wishing that the stars could indeed tell him what to do, that they could point him in the right direction… "I hope that it's true," he murmured quietly to himself, unsure if Seth even heard him. "We could all use a little guidance sometimes."

The next morning, Yami reluctantly bid Seth and Mokuba goodbye. He supposed that he should talk to Joey and Yugi and their friends, to straighten things out and to explain some things. He needed his brother and friends to understand that him breaking up with Joey has nothing to do with the Kaiba family. He needed his ex-fiancé to understand this as well.

Upon arriving at the game shop, he was greeted by a rather big surprise: Joey, Tea, and Tristan were sitting with Yugi in the living room. Four pairs of eyes looked up as he entered the room. There was a rather awkward silence before anyone spoke. He was definitely not expecting to have to confront them all the moment he had stepped into the room. He had hoped to talk to his brother alone first, so that his brother would be by his side when he talked to the others. So much for that plan.

It was Tea who finally broke the silence. "Yami! We are so glad that you are here. Now, you can patch things up with Joey."

Her cheerfulness sounded rather forced to Yami. He could tell she was nervous. He gently shook his head. "There isn't anything to "patch up", Tea. I don't love Joey, and I'm not going to marry him." That was surprisingly easy for him to say, a lot easier than he had expected.

"Yami," Yugi said in his gentle voice, the kind of voice that he used whenever he wanted his older brother to side with him on something, "Joey had told us Friday night what had happened between the two of you. And while we were all rather shocked at what had happened, we've all forgiven him. He is very, very regretful over what he's done, and he now realizes his mistake of thinking that a party would resolve things between you two."

At this, Joey finally spoke, his voice quiet. "Yami, I truly am sorry for what I tried to do. I know that you don't trust me any more, and I don't really blame you for that. But I swear I've changed! I won't drink any more, and I'll learn to keep my temper. I'll do anything to regain your trust. I hope that you'll give me a second chance, give _us _a second chance."

Four expecting pairs of eyes stared at him, small smiles on their faces. Yami knew what they all wanted him to say. They wanted him to say that yes, I believe you, and of course I forgive you too, and yes, I want us to have another chance as well. But he knew that, in his heart, those words were simply not true. He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "Thank you for those words, Joey." There was a hopeful gleam in the blond's eyes. "Perhaps, with time, I'll be able to forgive you, and learn to trust you again. As a friend."

At those last three words, the faces of his brother, his ex-fiancé, and their friends all suddenly fell, the smiles disappearing instantly. He hurried on. "And before you say it, this has nothing to do with either Seto Kaiba or Seth Kaiba. I just feel that, Joey and I are not meant for each other. We're better off as friends, which I hope we can remain." He turned his gaze towards Joey. "I'm very sorry, Joey."

There was another awkward silence, till Yugi suddenly spoke, again in that gentle voice of his. "Before you make you're decision, promise me something first, Yami. Promise me you'll spend some time away from Seth Kaiba."

An exasperated sigh escaped Yami before he could stop it. He couldn't help frowning as well.

"Because," Yugi continued, ignoring the sigh and frown, "I think that he is clouding your judgment, making you feel so confused about everything. I know that he reminds you greatly of Seto Kaiba, and what you're feeling towards him is probably what you had felt ten years ago. Yami, what you don't realize is that your feelings are for Seto Kaiba, not for Seth Kaiba. You are living in the past, and it's dearly hurting your present. So, what I think you need to do is stay away from Seth Kaiba, and then you'll find that you still do love Joey, and that your future is with him."

Tea and Tristan instantly agreed, starting to list out how the two Kaiba's were similar, how they themselves sometimes confused them, and blah blah blah. Yami soon tuned them out. It appeared that his brother and friends did not understand.

"I'm going for a walk," he said suddenly, turning and heading back out towards the door. Tea and Tristan stopped their chatter. He wished that he hadn't come back in the first place, that he had stayed with Seth at the Kaiba Manor, where he didn't have to deal with these kinds of problems.

"Yami, wait! Don't go!" It was Joey calling out to him. He sounded desperate.

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Please. Don't leave me. I…I can't live without you, Yami. You must understand! You're my entire life. Everything I do, I do for you, because of you. Please, don't take away my reason for living!"

_A little over-the-top, Joey,_ Yami thought. _A little over-dramatic, and not very believable. Your actions simply don't match up with your words._ He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Joey. But it's over." He continued out the door without waiting for a reply, picking up his bag as he did so. He had had enough.

Yami had no idea where he was going. He just continued walking. Eventually, he would have to get a hotel for the night, maybe for the next couple of nights. He didn't feel much like returning home to the constant badgering of his brother to "stay away from Seth Kaiba". He sighed deeply. This day was not turning out as he had hoped. Yesterday had been perfect, so relaxing for him, and yet it felt as if that had happened weeks ago. He was so tired. Why couldn't Joey and Yugi see that he did not love Joey any more? Why was that so difficult for them to accept? He sighed once more. _Seto, why did you have to leave me? If only you were still here, then things would be okay, and this whole thing with Joey would have never even happened. I wish Seth were here right now. You always did have a knack for making me feel better._

He stopped suddenly, blinking rapidly. He pondered over what he had just thought. Did his thoughts just switch back and forth from Seto to Seth and back to Seto? In his mind's eye, he saw Seto Kaiba standing there clearly before him, that dazzling smile on his face. Then, the image wavered a bit, and there was Seth Kaiba standing before him, that same dazzling smile that was on Seto's face was now on his. What the heck was going on with him? Could Yugi have been right in what he had said about him confusing his feeling for Seto as feelings for Seth?

Or was it something else entirely?

Glancing around his surroundings, he wondered how far he had already walked. Not surprisingly, he was at the gates to Domino City Park, having taken the long way around apparently. With a small smile, he entered the park and began making his way through the familiar paths.

When he was close the dragon fountain, something cold and slightly wet suddenly slammed into his back, causing him to stop and turn around. Glancing down, he spotted the culprit lying next to his boots: a snowball, or what was left of it anyways after it had smashed against him. Frowning, he looked up and scanned his surroundings. Another snowball hit him in the back of his legs. He whirled around, hoping to catch whoever it was. No such luck though. A third snowball flew through the air, this time smacking his head. He whirled around again, running his hands exasperatingly through his hair as he did so, sweeping the snow out. No one. He frowned again in annoyance.

Suddenly he heard a rather familiar laugh. It was coming from behind him, and he turned around. Seth Kaiba was walking towards him, tossing a snowball back and forth between his hands. He was grinning. "Ah, so I've finally found something in which the King of Games is not so good at: snowball fights."

Yami smirked. "Seth Kaiba, the King of Snowball Fights, then." He paused. "How did you get me from both sides?"

Seth stopped several feet from him, still tossing the snowball in his hands. "Well…I had a bit of help, actually." He pointed towards a particularly large tree, where a young boy was hiding. He gave a thumbs-up sign to the two men, and with a silly grin, walked off. Seth had paid the kid to help him. "So I guess two against one wasn't quite fair. "He shrugged. "It was still quite fun though. Anyways, catch." He tossed the snowball to Yami, who barely had the time to catch it.

Yami looked at the ball of snow in his hands, an uncertain expression on his face. He glanced back at Seth for some help. To his surprise, Seth did not say anything, but with a grin still on his handsome face, made a sort of chopping motion with his hand. Holding the ball in one hand, Yami hesitantly made the same chopping motion with his other hand above the ball, looking at Seth as he did so. The CEO nodded, and with a shrug, Yami brought down his hand, breaking the snowball in two. What he found inside it caused his mouth to drop slightly.

Inside the middle of the snowball Seth had placed a beautiful pendant, in the shape of a star. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the star was made up of five large diamonds that formed the points, and smaller diamonds in between each of the larger ones. A long silver chain accompanied the pendant.

Seth was at his side. He placed a hand on the small of his back, guiding him towards the dragon fountain. "Come on."

Yami was still staring at the pendant in his hand. "Seth…it's beautiful. But why?" He looked up at the tall CEO.

"Last night, when we were looking at the stars, you had murmured that you wished that the stars really could give guidance. So, I pulled a few strings last night and had this charm made for you. I thought…I thought that it might give you whatever guidance you were looking for…" he trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed. The explanation sounded stupid even to him. They had arrived at the dragon fountain.

He was certainly not expecting the answer that Yami gave him though.

"Thank you, Seth. That was very thoughtful of you…but I'm afraid I can't accept such a gift."

"Why not? I had thought that it was over between you and Wheeler. Is it too fast, too soon? I…we could slow down if you'd like, wait for a bit."

Yami shook his head. "No, it's not you, Seth. It's me. I did break off my engagement to Joey, and I have no regrets doing so…but still I'm feeling…so confused at this point. My thoughts are all a jumbled mess, my feelings even more chaotic. I don't know what to think or feel any more. I just…can't accept your gift. Please understand."

Seth pondered over his words. So if it wasn't Wheeler then (and what a relief that was), then there could only be one more explanation. He stared at Yami incredulously as it dawned on him. "You're still in love with that Seto guy, aren't you, the one you told me about at the fountain." It was more of a statement rather than a question.

Crimson eyes widened. "Yes, I did…do…still love Seto. I will always love him. And even though he never said it, I think that he did love me." He lowered his gaze to the snowy ground, not wanting to see Seth's hurt expression any longer. "I'm so sorry, Seth."

The CEO's mind was racing, struggling to keep his anger in check, trying to find the words that would convince Yami to be with him. He took a long, deep breath. "Look Yami, you're the most amazing person I've ever met, and even though we've only met briefly throughout the years, and only started to really spend time together this past week, I feel like I've known you my whole life. I find your…devotion towards Seto admiring, and I hope that one day you'll have that same devotion for me. Because, what I mean to say is that, Seto isn't the only one who's in love with you. So am I."

Yami's head snapped up at these words, and looked at him with wide eyes. Seth slowly leaned forwards and gently brushed his lips against the shorter male's. After a few more seconds of shock, he started to respond back eagerly. Taking this as a good sign, the CEO wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

A few moments later, they broke the kiss, both panting slightly. Seth gently took the star necklace from Yami and gently put it around his neck. The Duelist Champion leaned up to gently the kiss the other in thanks. The day was suddenly looking much better.

As a matter of fact, the entire week turned out to be so much better than the previous week. Yami had spent nearly all of his time when he wasn't working with Seth. He was delighted that the CEO would be staying in Domino City for an indeterminate amount of time. Though the CEO was quite busy with converting the old KC building into the new headquarters, he always found time for him. They would walk around Domino Park, or sit star-gazing in the Kaiba's spacious lawn. Yami was nearly living at Kaiba Manor now, usually picking up more clothes and things when he went to work at the game shop.

Speaking of the game shop….Yami supposed that, if there was one blemish to this happy week, it was Yugi and their friends. They were all giving him the cold shoulder, obviously taking Joey's side in their breakup. And as for Joey, he hadn't seen or heard from him since Sunday. Yami was actually quite relieved at that- perhaps he had finally decided to move him.

However, all was not as he had hoped for.

A week after he had last spoken to Joey, Yami received devastating news from Yugi: Joey had been admitted into the hospital.

END CHAPTER

Oooo…cliff-hangerish! I wonder if anyone actually feels sorry for Joey though… probably not.

Anyways, moving right along…they finally kissed! Whoo-hoo! About darn time too… I know you people have been waiting for this moment. Hope I didn't disappoint…

Next chapter…Yami finds out why Joey is in the hospital, and decides to…well, I don't really want to spoil anything. ;)

Thank you for reading, and please review! ;)


	10. Chapter 10

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 10 of ?

A/N: I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I just got really busy with work and stuff. But enough of my yapping. Enjoy the chapter!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 10

Yami stood staring at his younger brother. "Joey's…in the hospital? Why? What happened to him?"

Yugi sighed tiredly. "He hasn't been eating all week long, and now he's refusing the medications from the hospital as well. It's like he's lost the will to live…" he trailed off sadly.

The Duelist Champion's mind flashed back to the last conversation he had had with his ex-fiancé. Hadn't Joey said something about him being his reason for living? Could Joey not want to live because they were no longer together? Could _he _be the reason why Joey was lying in the hospital now?

All these questions and more raced through his mind as he rode with Yugi to the hospital. His brother had also informed him that the only person Joey wanted to see was him, that he kept saying his name over and over and over. This just seemed to confirm his suspicions that he was to blame for Joey's illness. The guilt was already starting to get to him…

Upon arriving at the hospital, Yami was greeted by a young girl with long brown hair. "Yami! Thank goodness you are here!" She embraced him tightly, her crying muffled somewhat by his shirt. When she pulled away a moment later, he could see that her eyes were red and blotchy from crying so much. "I'm so glad that you are here. It's been so terrible! Joey is already so weak…and he won't talk to anyone." She sniffed some more. "I know…I know that you two haven't been speaking to each other lately, but could you please go and talk to him? I…I think you're the only one he'll listen to at this point." She looked up at him hopefully, tears still glistening in her eyes.

Yami nodded in reply. "I'll do what I can to help, Serenity," he said quietly.

Joey's younger sister smiled weakly. "Thank you, Yami. I knew you still cared about him."

When he entered Joey's room, he was stunned at what he saw: his ex-fiancé was a pale white, and tubes were connected everywhere it seemed. His blond hair was matted to his forehead. "Joey…" he whispered, "what have you done to yourself?"

His whispers stirred the blond awake. He opened his eyes slightly, the dullness and lifelessness in them shocking Yami even more than his appearance did. Upon recognizing him, they widened a bit more. "Yami…" he said in a hoarse voice, "is that really you?"

Yami moved over to the bed, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. He took his ex-fiancé's hand in his. "Yes, it's me, Joey. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

A small smile graced his lips as he drifted back off to sleep.

Over the next several days, Joey seemed to rapidly re-gain his strength and spirits. He was eating regularly now, as well as taking his medications. Yami stayed by his side the entire time. Yugi and their friends were no longer giving him the cold shoulder- he had to admit, it was nice having them talking to him again. Everything seemed to be going well, except for one thing…

While Joey was resting peacefully, Yami had headed out of the hospital, saying that he needed to take a walk, get some fresh air. While at the hospital, he had kept the star pendant that Seth had given him hidden underneath his shirt. As he walked, he took it out and nervously fingered its shape. This would not be easy…

Earlier that day, he had called Seth and asked him to meet him at the dragon fountain later. They had only been able to talk briefly each day since Yami had found out that Joey was in the hospital. He was thankful that Seth had been so understanding the past several days. However, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to understand his decision…he wasn't sure if he himself even understood it.

Winding his way around the familiar park's paths, he at last came to the dragon fountain. The CEO was already there, sitting on one of the benches and staring up at the dragon. Upon hearing Yami, he turned around and immediately rose from the bench, walking over to him. "Hey," he said softly. "I've missed you these past several days." He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against Yami's. However, when he didn't respond, he immediately pulled back again, looking at him with a questioning gaze. He had a bad feeling about this…

_Oh gods, this was going to be hard_. Yami took a deep breath, reaching up to take off the star necklace. He gently took Seth's hand palm up, and placed the pendant in the middle of his palm. He then forced himself to look up into those hurt blue eyes. "I'm so sorry Seth," he said in barely a whisper, "but we can't be together any more."

Seth had noticed the engagement ring now back on Yami's finger when he had placed the pendant in his own hand. He immediately understood. "So you've chosen him then?" His voice was neutral, controlled.

Yami nodded sadly. "I'm sorry," he said again, "but I have no choice. If I don't, then Joey may end up killing himself, and I would never be able to forgive myself for allowing that to happen." He averted his gaze, closing his eyes as well.

Anger swelled up inside of the Dragon Master. "So you would throw away your own happiness because of that cowardly, conniving pathetic loser?" He was angry at that bastard for pulling a trick like this, angry at Yami for being too kind-hearted and falling for the trick, and angry at himself for not being able to do a damn thing about it.

Tears slipped past Yami's closed eyes, and down his cheeks, leaving a cold wet trail.

The sight of those tears seemed to vanquish the anger within Seth almost instantly. He gathered him into his arms, pulling him close against his chest. "Shhh…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset." He bent down to kiss away his tears. But this seemed to cause even more to flow.

"I love you Seth…" Yami murmured into his chest.

Blue eyes widened. He had wanted to hear those words for so long it seemed, but never did he think that it would come out like this. Yes, Yami did love him, and he loved Yami, and yet…they were unable to be together. Life could be unbearably cruel it seemed. However, Yami's confirmation of love gave him some hope for the future. He would find a way for them to be together; he would find a way to convince Yami that he needn't give up his life for a jerk like Wheeler. He was _not_ going to give him up so easily. Yami's words seemed to ease the pain in his heart slightly. He closed his eyes and kissed the shorter man on his forehead. "Thank you, Yami... thank you."

A few days later, Joey was released from the hospital. Yami and Yugi threw him a small dinner party at their place with their friends. Afterwards, everyone was laughing and joking around like they had used to. Yami pretended to be having a good time, but deep down, he was incredibly sad. He and Seth hadn't seen or spoken to each other since that day at the fountain… However, he was determined to keep his true feelings quite hidden from everyone else, especially from his fiancé.

Joey was all smiles that night. He had Yami back with him, and finally, Seth Kaiba was out of the picture for good. There was no way that Yami would leave him now. His little trick at the hospital had worked just as he had planned it would. He knew Yami well, and knew that he would come running back to him as soon as he had heard that he was seriously ill. Yami was just that sort of person. However, he wanted to make sure that Yami kept as far away from Seth as possible, just to be on the safe side. So, he came up with another little plan.

"Hey guys, I got an announcement." Everyone quieted down. "Yami and I have been talking, and we've decided that after we marry, we want to move to the United States to start our own Duel Monsters School!" If Kaiba wanted to stay in Japan, then he and Yami would simply move to the States. That would ensure that they never had the chance to accidentally bump into each other or anything of the sort.

As everyone began to congratulate them, Yami could only stare at his fiancé in disbelief. He had never mentioned anything about going to the States, and they certainly had never agreed to anything of the sort. Inside, he was burning with anger towards his fiancé. However, on the outside, he merely smiled as Joey went on to describe what kind of school "they" wanted to start.

A little while later, everyone had finally left, including his fiancé, whom Yami was still quite upset with. When Joey had kissed him goodnight on the lips before he had left, Yami could not help but think how…cold his kiss was compared to the ones he had shared with Seth. The tall CEO was on his mind a lot these days- he just couldn't stop thinking about him, and about how much happier he had been with him. And then, thinking about Seth made him think about Seto as well, and how happy he had been back then. It seems that he had fallen in love with both of them. He had never lost his love for Seto, and the difference between Seth and Joey was that Seth was willing to accept that, whereas Joey did not. Perhaps that was why he would rather be with Seth than Joey, and why he could never love Joey.

The musical ring of his cell phone suddenly pulled Yami from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen and was surprised to see it was Seth calling. He quickly answered the call. "Seth?" he said a little too eagerly.

"Yami. Could you meet me at the dragon fountain in 15 minutes? We need to talk."

This sounded serious. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. We just need to talk. In person."

He hesitated. What if Joey or Yugi or one their friends saw them together? Then again, none of them even knew that he and Seth had met several times at the fountain before. "Al-alright. I'll see you then."

"Bye."

Yami quickly grabbed his coat and blue scarf. As expected, he saw Yugi downstairs, reading a book. He looked up just as he entered the room. "Yugi, I'm going to the fountain. I'll see you in a bit."

His brother eyed him warily, but nodded. "Okay then."

As soon as Yami had left the room, Yugi immediately picked up the phone and started dialing.

Yami all but ran to the park, ran through the many twists and paths that led to the dragon fountain. He wondered what Seth wanted. Would he try and convince him to leave Joey? Was he going to tell him that he had decided to return to the States after all, and that this would be their last goodbye? Yami felt a sharp pang in his chest as he thought about Seth leaving Japan for good.

He slowed down to a walk as he reached the entrance to the fountain. Standing near the fountain, he could see the tall form of Seth. Quenching the impulse to run up to him and throw his arms around him and kiss him senseless, he forced himself to take slow, even steps till he was standing next to him. For several long moments, neither of them spoke.

Yami heard the tinkling of a chain, and he glanced down in surprise as Seth slowly took out the diamond star pendant from his pocket, its long silver chain dangling from his hand.

The CEO's voice was very quiet. "Yami, the reason why I asked you to meet me here was because I wanted you to have this." He took the shorter man's hand in his, and gently put the pendant in his palm, firmly closing his fingers around it, keeping his own hands around his. "I understand if you don't want to wear it, but I still want you to keep it, because I had it especially made for you. Only you are meant to have it, and no one else."

"Seth…I-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt warm lips against his as Seth gently kissed him. He had to control his desire to kiss him back.

When Seth pulled away, he brought his lips close to Yami's ear, even though they were the only ones there. "I hope that this star will guide you to what your heart truly desires." He pulled away, finally dropping his hands as well. "Can I give you a ride home?"

Yami shook his head, his thoughts still reeling from Seth's actions and from his words. "No, you'd better not. I don't want Yugi becoming suspicious."

He nodded. "Alright then. I'll follow behind you at a safe distance then. Don't worry," he added quickly, seeing the look on his face, "I won't be seen." He paused. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thank you, Seth," he murmured, "for everything."

The two men parted, neither noticing a pair of angry brown eyes peering out from behind a tree.

Yami did indeed decide to wear the star pendant. However, he kept it hidden underneath his shirt, knowing the questions it would raise if certain people saw it.

The next night, Joey invited him out to dinner, and it was then that he wanted to talk about their supposed "plans" after they were married. However, every time he tried to bring up the subject, his fiancé either immediately changed the topic to something else entirely, or he ignored the question completely. He was definitely hiding something, some ulterior motive for wanting to move to the United States.

Joey sighed in relief as the pair finally exited the building. He was starting to get a little bit annoyed at Yami for continuously asking him questions about their future plans. He really wished he would just drop it already, and accept it as it is. But no- he had to be annoyingly stubborn like that sometimes. This night had not gone as he had hoped for. He had hoped to spend it talking about them so that Yami would forget about Kaiba, but instead he had been forced to spend it dodging questions. Things could not get much worse.

And yet they did.

Across the street, at some fancy restaurant, he noticed the person that he despised the most in the world exiting the restaurant with a bunch of other men in suits. _Kaiba_. He clenched his fists tightly, remembering last night when he had witnessed that jerk kissing _his_ Yami. It was more than enough to make him want to storm across the street and give the CEO a strong punch in the face. However, Yami did not seem to have noticed him yet, and he would rather keep it that way.

The Duelist Champion however did notice that Joey was rather silent all of a sudden. It appeared that he was giving someone the death glare across the street. He glanced across the street and drew a quick breath, a hand going instinctively to cover the star pendant, though of course it was already covered by his shirt and then by his jacket.

Joey heard the gasp and knew that Yami must have seen Kaiba. He whirled around on his fiancé, his brown eyes flashing dangerously. "What the hell were you doing last night with Kaiba?" he blurted out without thinking.

Crimson eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't play games. Yugi had called to tell me that you were going to that stupid fountain of yours after dinner last night. So, I decided to follow you. And imagine my surprise to find you meeting _him_, and then _kissing_ him!" He was breathing heavily now, his breath coming out in quick puffs in the cold air.

The shock wore off and was quickly replaced by anger, both at his brother and at Joey. "So you were spying on me then?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

As usual, his question was ignored. "I cannot wait till we leave this place AND that bastard for good! The sooner we leave the better!"

Crimson eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare call him that again, Joey," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. His fiancé was going too far by insulting Seth.

"I'm out of here. Yami, you better come to your senses soon and realize just exactly who you belong to."

"Or you'll do what?" Yami asked in a quiet, challenging voice.

"Or somebody might get hurt." He had gotten rid of one Kaiba before- he could certainly find away to get rid of another. He left Yami standing speechless on the sidewalk and headed to his car.

Across the street, Seth bid his Board of Directors and potential future investors good night. He despised having to go to these pointless dinner meetings. Out of the corner of his eye he had noticed Yami and Wheeler in what appeared to be an argument. The blond had been making wild gestures, while Yami had stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Now, he saw that he was standing alone, apparently having been left, gazing down at the sidewalk. With a quick glance at both directions, Seth crossed the street and quickly walked over to him. "Yami?"

At the sound of Seth's voice, Yami snapped his head up. Not being able to control himself this time, he threw his arms around the tall brunet. He immediately felt strong arms wrap around him in response, and he buried his face in the smooth material of his trench coat. After a few moments, Seth spoke quietly. "Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

With one arm still around his shoulders, they walked back across the street, where Seth handed a man a small piece of paper. The man nodded, and quickly ran off towards the small parking lot to the side of the restaurant. Yami glanced up at Seth in surprise. "Where's your limo tonight?"

Seth shrugged. "He has the night off. I thought I'd drive myself tonight."

He gave him another curious glance. "Since when did you have a car?

"Since yesterday. Mokuba and I figured that if we were going to be in Japan for a while, we might as well get a car, so that we wouldn't have to rely on our drivers all the time." He smirked slightly. "You would have gotten to ride in it last night."

Yami smiled slightly in return. Just these few moments with Seth already seemed to have lifted his spirits considerably. Less than a minute later, he saw a sleek dark Porsche pulling out onto the street and up towards them. The man got out of the driver's seat and walked back over to them. Seth handed him his tip, then opened the passenger side door for Yami. He quickly went around the car and slid into the driver's seat.

During the ride to the game shop, Yami told Seth about Joey's plans to move to the United States, about his refusal to talk about them, about his and Joey's argument, and how Joey had seen them last night. Seth was definitely not happy about being spied on at the fountain- he was going to have to be more aware of his surroundings next time, which could sometimes be rather difficult when he was around Yami. And he only needed one guess as to why Wheeler wanted to move out of the country- he wanted to keep Yami as far away from him as possible. Like moving to the States could keep him away from the man he loved…

All too soon, they had arrived at the small game shop. Yami did not really want to get out of the car. He would rather stay here with Seth. With a sigh, he turned towards the CEO and smiled at him. "Thank you for the ride home, Seth."

He smiled in return. "Any time." His smile faded slowly. "Yami, why are you doing this to yourself? Why do you allow Wheeler to treat you like he does, like your thoughts and feelings don't matter? You shouldn't be with someone who does not respect you."

Yami sighed. It was just like Seth to be so concerned about him. "You know why, Seth. I don't want to be the cause for putting him in the hospital again."

Seth scowled. "_You_ didn't put him into the hospital, Yami. _He_ did. Can't you see it's just some pathetic trick to get you to go back to him?" He paused to keep his anger in check. "Regardless of your reasons for going back to him, it still does not give him the right to treat you the way he does."

The Duelist Champion opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. After a few moments of silence, he finally managed to find his voice again. "I…I should go. Thanks again, Seth. Good night."

"Good night, Yami."

He noticed the change in Seth's voice, that it was much quieter than it was before, less angry and frustrated. However, he decided not to comment on it, and instead opened the door and got out. With a wave good-bye, he closed the door and headed up towards the game shop. He didn't hear the car drive off until he was just about to close the front door.

The next morning, Joey was already at the game shop by the time Yami had woken up and dressed. The blond apologized profusely for his actions the previous night, stating that he didn't mean a word of what he had said, that he was just upset over seeing Yami and Seth together, and that he did not want to lose him again. Yugi assured Joey that Yami understood, that of course he was forgiven, and that all was fine between the two of them. Yami did not even have to say a word. He sighed silently as the two began a much more cheerful discussion. He gazed out the window, thinking about Seth's words from the night before. Unconsciously, a hand drifted up to brush against the star pendant underneath his shirt. Perhaps he had been right…perhaps Joey really was just getting himself sick to make him come back to him. He had never thought that Joey was actually capable of doing something that drastic, that…deceitful. But then again, over the years he had learned a lot of surprising things about his fiancé that he wished he didn't know.

He glanced over at where his fiancé and his brother were still talking animatedly to each other. If only _those two_ would get together. Then, that would leave him free to be with the one he truly loves….

END OF CHAPTER

EEPS! dodgers daggers flying through the air Please don't kill me! Remember, I like writing happy endings. And it definitely would NOT be a happy ending if Yami and Joey ended up together. shudders

Ok…next chapter, Seth FINALLY finds out a bit about the Kaiba's past in Domino City. It's gonna cause lots of confusion on everybody's part…

Thanks for reading and please review! 


	11. Chapter 11

Title: The First Time

Author: Wintersslayer

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami, sorta Joey/Yami

Spoilers: None that I know of.

Warnings: Maybe some language. And please, LOOK at the pairings listed. If you don't like, then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Summary: AU- 10 years ago, Yami had a beautiful relationship with Seto that ended tragically with Seto's death. Now, shortly after his engagement to his long-time best friend Joey, Yami meets a man named Seth, who curiously looks a lot like Seto...

Status: 11 of ?

A/N: SO…anyone actually still reading this thing? I realize it's been AGES since I last updated. Oops. Sorry. Been very busy with work and what not. Don't know why I suddenly felt like writing for this story. I haven't even thought about it for so long. As a result though, it's probably going to be really screwed up, cuz I don't remember what I really had planned for it. Lost my notes for the story. Also, I haven't seen Yugioh in ages as well, so my characterizations are probably all off as well. If this chapter turns out to be really bad, I might just have to stop this story completely….Anyways…enjoy!

START OF CHAPTER

Chapter 11

Seth sighed as leaned back in his office chair. It had been a week since Yami had decided to return to that loser Wheeler's side. The CEO had kept himself busy with work, finally finishing the necessary changes to transfer KaibaCorp Headquarters to Japan. All the while, his little brother was constantly trying to convince him to return back to the United States, saying that there was no longer a reason for him to stay in Japan now that he wasn't seeing Yami. But Seth had to disagree with him- there _was_ a reason for him to stay in Japan. And that was to get Yami back. He was still working on a plan.

With another sigh, he shut down his laptop and packed up his stuff. He needed to take a walk or something. Maybe the brisk air would help to clear his head, help him to figure out a plan to convince Yami to choose him.

Exiting the building, the CEO decided that he would visit the dragon fountain. It seemed like the perfect quiet place to think things over. Inside the park, he continued to walk briskly towards the fountain, only to be stopped by a gruff voice calling out, "Goodness me, my old eyes must be deceiving me! You look almost exactly like young Master Seto Kaiba!"

At that name, Seth stopped abruptly and turned around. Sitting on a bench a few feet from him was an elderly man. The man was smiling fondly. Seeing that he had caught the younger man's attention, he beckoned for him to come closer. The CEO hesitated, but curiosity got the best of him and he walked over to the elderly man, taking the seat next to him.

The elderly man gazed at him thoughtfully, nodding and sighing to himself. "Yes, yes, I can see the resemblance. It's no wonder then why Master Gozaburo Kaiba choose you!"

Seth frowned. What in the world was this old man talking about? Who was Seto Kaiba, and why was he saying that he looked like him? Could this Seto Kaiba possibly be the same Seto that Yami had told him about? Or was it just a coincidence? He looked at the old man. "I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you are talking about. Who's Seto Kaiba?"

The elderly man laughed. "Why, Master Kaiba's adopted son of course! Bright young mind, handsome looks too! See, long ago, I was the head gardener at the Kaiba Manor. I loved tending to all those rare flowers and plants that the Kaiba's brought in." He sighed wistfully. "So you can imagine how sad I was when, after the young master's tragic death, the family decided to up and move to the United States. They closed down the company as well as the Manor, and all those poor plants and flowers were left to wilt away and die. I suppose it was simply too dreadful for the Kaiba's to remain here, with so many reminders of the young master." He looked at Seth with a funny gaze. "I'll bet the family just about had a heart attack when they first saw you! They must've thought they were seeing a ghost!" He laughed merrily to himself.

Seth couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could this old man be speaking the truth, or was he just senile? If he was speaking the truth, then how come no one, not even Mokuba, told him that Gozaburo had had another adopted son? And there was still the question of Seto Kaiba possibly being the Seto that Yami was still in love with. "Old man, tell me, how did Seto Kaiba die?"

The elderly man sighed sadly. "So tragic, as I've said. It was on a dark, cold, snowy winter night. The young master was crossing a street, when a bus suddenly came upon him! The driver never saw him with all that snow flying around. So sad that a brilliant young boy like him had to die so suddenly."

Blue eyes widened. Yami had said that Seto had died in a car accident. Could they be the same person? He just had to find out more about this Seto Kaiba person, and why he never even knew about him. "Where do I even start though?" he muttered to himself.

"If I were you, I would try the brothers' favorite cabin in the mountains!"

Seth glanced up, startled. "Cabin in the mountains?"

The old man nodded. "The Kaiba brothers would go up there often, whenever they wanted to get away from their adopted father. And no wonder too, with the way Gozaburo worked his son. All of us staff members could tell how unhappy the brothers were with their adopted father." He smiled thoughtfully. "However, it did seem to us that Seto was a bit happier in the weeks preceding his death. It was probably due to that young boy that he was seeing."

The Dragon Master raised an eyebrow. "Seto had been seeing someone before he had died?"

He nodded once again. "Yes, according to one of the drivers anyways. A boy that the young master had met at school. The driver knew better then to tell Master Kaiba and meddle in family affairs, but was quite free to tell the rest of us staff! Made for quite an exciting talk, the young master defying his father and so! You see, Master Kaiba didn't like anything that could distract his son from his work, and I'm sure the boy was quite the distraction." He laughed merrily once more.

Seth's heart was speeding up now. "The boy, do you remember his name?" he asked in a hurry.

He shook his head sadly. "Sadly, no. The young master never mentioned his name, probably because he wanted to keep him safe from Master Kaiba. No doubt that the Master would do him some harm if he had ever found out that he was distracting Master Seto from his work. All I know about the boy is that the driver said that his family must own a game shop of some sort, because they were always dropping him off near some game shop."

Blue eyes widened. Game shop? It _must_ be Yami then! So that means that the old man must be telling the truth. "Please, sir, could you tell me where can I find this cabin? It's very important to me." This cabin must be the next clue in the mystery.

The elderly man smiled. "Of course. It's quite easy to find."

After receiving the directions, Seth stood and thanked the elderly man for his help. He rushed out of the park and headed back to KC Headquarters to get his car. He had a cabin to find!

Mokuba Kaiba sat in the back of the limo, watching through the window as the small shops whizzed by. He was heading towards the Kame game store, to have a little talk with Yami. All this week, he had tried in vain to convince his big brother to return to the United States and forget all about Japan and the Duelist Champion. But now, with the headquarters transfer complete, there was no going back to the US, at least not for a long while. The younger Kaiba could tell how unhappy his brother was- whenever Seth was upset over something, or something was troubling him, he would always busy himself with more work. And he knew exactly what was tormenting him so: Yami's decision to choose Wheeler over him, even though he had feelings for Seth. So, it had seemed that Yami had fallen for his brother for the second time; perhaps they were meant to be together then. Mokuba decided that it was now time for a little brotherly intervention. He hated seeing his brother so upset, and was determined to help in any way possible.

At last, the limo pulled in front of the small game shop. Mokuba got out and marched determinedly up to the door. When he entered the game shop, he felt his heart drop slightly. Instead of finding Yami, he found his fiancé sitting behind the counter instead. He hadn't changed much since their brief meeting up at the mountains ten years ago.

Joey looked up from the magazine that he was reading when he heard the small door bell tinkle. His widened when he saw who the customer was. What was Mokuba Kaiba doing here?

"Where can I find Yami?" Mokuba asked, not bothering with the pleasantries. After all, sitting before him was the man who was causing his brother so much pain.

Brown eyes narrowed. "I don't want him associating with any _Kaiba_." He nearly spat out the name.

"I think he's old enough to decide for himself who he wants to _associate_ himself with," Mokuba replied in an equally edgy tone. He really couldn't see what Yami saw in the guy.

"Just leave. You, or your brother, are not welcome here. I'll never understand what Yami sees in a bastard like him."

_Now_ Mokuba was angry. Nobody insults his brother and gets away with it unscathed. "Obviously, he sees a better man in him then you could ever hope to be. He had seen it before when they had first met, and now he sees it again ten years later. Obviously, Seto is the one for him, since he has fallen for him twice in one lifetime! And how dare you try and break them apart, you selfish bastard!" The words were tumbling angrily out of his mouth before he could even think of them it seemed.

Joey too sat in complete shock. "S-Seto?" he repeated uncertainly. "Twice in one lifetime? What the hell are you talking about?"

Mokuba realized what he had just said, and he gasped, his eyes widening in shock. How could he let his anger get the better of him? He may have just ruined everything!

The blond duelist looked at the black-haired young man standing in the game shop, voicing his thoughts. "You mean to tell me that Seth Kaiba is really Seto Kaiba? That would explain their uncanny resemblance." He suddenly remembered his duel with Kaiba, and the appearance of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Only one person in the entire world had that monster in his deck. It was all starting to make sense now… "And that would explain Seth Kaiba's deck and dueling strategies. _And_ that would explain why Yami is so damn attracted to him! It all makes sense now! Seth Kaiba is really Seto Kaiba!"

Mokuba did not say anything. He simply turned and ran out of the game shop and back to the awaiting limo. He ordered the driver to take him to the cabin in the mountains. He needed to think over what just happened in the game shop, and the consequences of his mistake…

Seth Kaiba found the cabin quite easily. For an old man, his memory was certainly quite good. The door was unlocked, so he went inside, taking a good look around, his sharp eyes searching for anything that might tell him more about Seto Kaiba. The cabin's furnishings were simple- a table with two chairs, a well-worn sofa, two beds in the back room, and an old piano in the corner of the room. Everything was caked in dust. Obviously, this cabin hasn't been used for a number of years. Seth walked over towards the piano and gently opened its lid. He gingerly pressed down on one key- the piano badly needed a tuning. Even so, Seth placed both his hands over the keys and began playing a simple tune. It was a soft, slow melody. He had never played the piano before, so he was quite surprised as this tune came out of nowhere. It seemed hauntingly familiar to him…

Glancing at the dust-covered top, he noticed something flat lying on it. He stopped playing and gently picked the item up. It was a picture frame, lying face down. Curiously he turned the frame over, and almost dropped it when he saw the picture. There, smiling back at him, were younger versions of himself and Mokuba! _But that's impossible! _he thought to himself. _I've never been here before in my life!_

Blue eyes suddenly realized who was in the picture. _Seto Kaiba!_ It _must_ be him! So, the old man must have been speaking the truth then! Gozaburo Kaiba did indeed have another adopted son. He peered closer at the photo. He certainly did have an uncanny resemblance towards Seto.

Suddenly the door flew wide open, causing a startled Seth to look up. His brother Mokuba was standing at the door, panting slightly.

"Mokuba! What are you doing here?"

"Seth! How did you find this place?!"

They asked their questions almost at the exact same time. For long moments, neither spoke, till Seth held up the picture frame in his hand, a questioning look in his eyes. "Why didn't you ever tell me about him?" he asked quietly.

Mokuba stood speechless in the doorway, his mouth hanging open from the shock of finding his brother here in the cabin. "How….how did you find this place?" he repeated slowly.

"I met an old man in the park today," he explained. "He said that he had been the gardener at the old Kaiba Manor, and told me about Seto Kaiba." He shook his head slightly. "I wasn't sure that I believed him, till I found this photo. Mokuba, why didn't you tell me that you had another adopted brother?"

The younger Kaiba shook his head. "Not adopted brother, but real brother. Seto was…is my real brother."

An eyebrow rose. "'Is'?"

Mokuba swallowed hard. He figured Seth should hear this from him, instead of from Wheeler, or whoever else Wheeler might tell…like Yami. He walked over to his brother, and gently took the picture from his hands. He gazed fondly at the photo before looking back up. "Seth…this is _you_ in this picture. It was taken ten years ago. I had it framed and took it here on our last trip."

"You…you mean…this is…I'm…"

Mokuba nodded, tears starting to slide down his cheeks. "Yes, you are Seto Kaiba, and we share the same blood, not just the same last name."

A flood of emotions suddenly hit Seth. Shock…anger…hurt. He needed to get out of this cabin right away. Without another look at his brother, he rushed out of the cabin and to his car. He barely heard Mokuba calling out to him, asking him to wait. He drove away as fast as he could, wondering what the hell was going on.

Seth didn't know where he was going. He couldn't go home or back to his office- Mokuba could easily find him there, and he couldn't face him just yet. Finally, he decided to go to the one place were he knew he would never find him: the dragon fountain.

His thoughts were a chaotic swirling mess as he walked quickly down the park's twisting paths. Seth did not remember much of his past before he had came into the Kaiba family. He had always been told that he had been in a terrible accident when he was younger, which had caused him to lose his childhood memories. Could he really have been the one hit by the bus ten years ago? Had that caused him to lose his memories? If that was the case, then why was he going by the name of Seth, and not Seto? Why would Mokuba want him to be someone else, instead of his real brother? Why hadn't anyone told him about his past in Japan? _Why hadn't anyone told him about Yami?_

The last question came up so suddenly, that Seth had to pause. Blue eyes widened with a sudden realization. Yami! He hadn't thought of this till now. _He_ was the one that Yami was still in love with, the one that Yami came to talk to at the dragon fountain! This realization now posed another difficult question: should he tell Yami who he really was? How would he react? Would he even believe him? Seth wasn't even sure that he believed himself.

At last, he reached the dragon fountain. And sitting on one of the benches was none other than Yami. Seth's voice caught in his throat, and he couldn't speak or move. He simply stared at Yami's back. He saw the blue scarf wrapped around his neck. _Did I give that to him?_

Yami suddenly felt the prickling sensation that someone was watching him. He turned around, eyes widening in surprise when he saw who it was. "Seth! What are you doing here?"

Seth swallowed hard, struggling to find his voice. "Yami…I…" He had no idea what to say.

Concerned over Seth's unusual behavior, he got up from his bench and walked over to him. "Seth, what's wrong? What's troubling you?"

_Just come out and say it_. He took a deep breath. "Yami, I need to ask you something…something important."

"Okay," he smiled slightly. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

He took another deep breath. "Yami…what if…what if I was to tell you that…that I was…" Unfortunately, his voice again failed him. He shook his head slightly.

Concerned crimson eyes gazed over him. "That you were what?" he prompted in a gentle voice.

However, before Seth could speak, Joey burst into the clearing, brown eyes glaring angrily. "Kaiba! I told you to stay away from him!" He had to get Yami away before he knew the truth. He grabbed Yami's wrist and began dragging him out of the clearing.

"Joey, wait! I need to hear what Seth has to say!"

"No, you don't, Yami. For your own good, you don't."

Yami heard the sudden urgency in his fiancé's voice and felt like he was missing something important. Seth was trying to tell him, but Joey seemed intent him not finding out. He decided to stand his ground, and firmly planted his feet. He yanked his wrist free. "No, Joey. I think I should hear this." He turned an expecting gaze towards Seth.

Seth would have preferred not to do this with Wheeler glaring at him, but it looked as if he had no choice now. "Yami," he began again slowly, "what if I was to tell you that…that I am Seto Kaiba?" He finished off so quietly, that he wasn't sure if Yami even heard him.

But Yami did hear him. His eyes widened in shock. "What did you just say?"

"I'm Seto Kaiba," he repeated, a bit more firmly this time. Blue eyes pleaded with those crimson eyes that he had come to love to believe him.

"You-you're Seto?"

Joey sensed that Yami was in doubt, and used this opportunity to jump in. "Yami, of course he isn't Seto Kaiba! Seto Kaiba is dead! He's just saying that in hopes that you'll return to him. Don't listen to him! He's just using your feelings for his own advantage!"

"Stay out of this, Wheeler!" Seth snapped. "This is not your concern!"

"The hell it isn't! This is my fiancé that you are trying to trick here! And I won't allow it!" He grabbed Yami's wrist once more. "Come on, Yami. We. Are. Leaving. I've had enough of this crap, of this bastard playing with your feelings." This time, Yami willingly began to follow him, still in obvious shock over Seth's words.

Seth could only watch as the two left. Could this day possibly get any worse?

Back at home, Yami had immediately gone to his room and locked the door. Joey had pounded on his door for nearly half an hour, pleading with him to speak to him. But he couldn't. He needed some time to figure out what had happened in the park, what Seth had said. Could Seth truly be Seto? Is that why they are so similar…why he had fallen for them both? Had he actually fallen for the same person? Or was Seth just using his feelings for Seto to get him to come back to him, as Joey had said? He was so confused, and had no idea what to do. He didn't know what to believe.

His cell phone starting ringing, and he absentmindedly glanced at its screen. When he saw that it was Seth (or was it Seto?) calling, he became more alert. Hesitantly, he answered the call. "H- Hello?"

"Yami. I wasn't sure if you would answer my call or not."

"Seth…I'm sorry for running out like that. I'm just so confused over everything."

"I understand. I'm confused as well. I only came upon this today." Yami could hear his tired sigh. "I need to talk to Mokuba. But first, I wanted to check and make sure you were alright."

Yami smiled slightly. So like Seth to always be concerned about him. _And Seto was always concerned about me as well._ "I'm sorry, Seth. But I don't understand how you could possibly be Seto. He died ten years ago. There-we had a small funeral for him at the dragon fountain." Tears were starting to form in his eyes as he remembered that sad, cold night.

"I know. I'm not sure if I even believe it. I don't ever remember being Seto." Another tired sigh. "Only one person could know the truth. And that's Mokuba." There was a pause. "But Yami?"

"Yes?"

"If…if there was the possibly that I really am Seto…would that change things between us?" Yami could hear the hopeful note in his voice, causing his heart to break even more. More tears started to flow as well.

"I…I don't think it would, Seth. Even if you are Seto, I can't leave Joey." Yami took a deep breath, forcing himself to say the next painful words. "Perhaps…perhaps it would be best if you forget all about me."

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. Yami thought that perhaps Seth had hung up on him. Then his smooth voice came clearly through the line. "Yami, I will never forget about you. I don't want to. It doesn't matter if I am Seto or not, if we shared something in the past. I love you _now_, and will always love you. Nothing can change that. I'll wait for you for as long as it takes for you to be guided back to me."

At these words, Yami's hand instantly came up to take the star pendant out from under his shirt. He remembered Seth's whispered words at the dragon fountain about the pendant, about it guiding him to what his heart truly desired. He knew what his heart truly desired, but also knew that his mind was telling him not to follow it. He had a lot of thinking to do. "Thank you, Seth. For everything." Without another word, he pushed the End button on his cell.

END OF CHAPTER

whew This one took a while to write. Hope it wasn't terribly bad.

Next chapter, Seth has a good long talk with Mokuba, and finds out why Mokuba has kept so many secrets from him. Then he makes a decision that changes everything!

Thanks for reading, and please review! ;)


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